ISEPP Supports British Psychological Society’s Statement on Psychiatric Diagnoses
The International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry today issued a statement strongly supporting the position statement on psychiatric diagnoses that was recently published by the Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) of the British Psychological Society.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - May 17, 2013 - PRLog -- In its statement the DCP questioned the usefulness, reliability and validity of the current diagnostic system which is based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and the International Classification of Diseases: Classification of Mental and Behavioral Disorders (ICD). The DCP called for a paradigm shift towards a “conceptual system not based on a disease model” and an approach that “acknowledges the growing amount of evidence for psychosocial causal factors (and which) does not assign an unevidenced role for biology as a primary cause.” The DCP statement expressed concern about the increasing medicalization of distress and behavior in adults and children and noted that psychiatric diagnosis obscures the link between people’s experiences, distress and behavior and social, cultural, familial and personal historical contexts. “It is well past time for discarding the biopsychiatric paradigm that governs mainstream mental health care in the United States,” stated Dr. Al Galves, ISEPP's Executive Director. “Today’s mental health system hurts the people who come to it for help. You can’t do much worse than that. We are grateful to the British Psychological Society for taking a stand that is long overdue from our own American Psychological Association.” “There exists now overwhelming evidence that people break down as a result of a complex mix of social and psychological circumstances such as bereavement and loss, poverty and discrimination, trauma and abuse,” added Dr. Lloyd Ross, ISEPP's North American Director. “Therefore, there is a need for a paradigm shift toward a conceptual system that is not based upon the ‘disease model’.” The 16th Annual Conference of the International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry takes place November 1-3, 2013 in Greensboro, N.C. For more information on "Rethinking Mental Health Care for Children & Adolescents: Evidence-Based and Experienced-Based Alternatives to the Medical Model", please visit www.PsychIntegrity.orghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8ReARNiAHI
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