A Critique of “Oversimplified Images: Comments on …”

Abstract

Stewart Page argues that my article “‘Control or Treatment?’ Experiences of People who have been Psychiatrically Hospitalized in New Brunswick” (CJCMII, Vol. 13 No. 1. Spring 1994) contains many oversimplifications. However, analyzing his critique reveals that Page makes some broad statements that seem to be based in a patronizing attitude toward people who have been psychiatrically hospitalized. For example, the experiences of psychiatric patients cannot be compared to those of non-psychiatric patients because the treatment of people with “mental illness” is regulated by a powerful measure: the Mental Health Act. Furthermore, the poor living conditions of some of the research participants had a major impact on their experiences inside the hospital. “Mental illness” is a complex and multi-faceted problem. The first step to gain insight into it is to listen to the voices of people who have first-hand experiences: people who have been psychiatrically hospitalized.