Psychiatry as Ideology

Abstract

Background:The current psychiatric literature carries numerous papers arguing that the correct approach to mental disorder is to see it as a special form of brain disorder, whose precise biochemical and genetic causes will be revealed by the normal methods of laboratory science. In particular, these claims are repeated in numerous papers outlining and advocating the new Research Domain Criteria project of the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.Material:An extensive search of the literature shows that not one of these biologically oriented papers ever provides citations or references to authorities such that the claim “mental disorder is brain disorder” is established to the standard required of valid scientific claims.Discussion:As it stands, the notion that mental disorder is brain disorder is unsubstantiated. In particular, no authorities in the field of biological psychiatry have ever demonstrated that they have a formal theory of mental disorder, or a model of mental disorder to guide their daily practice, their teaching or their research.Conclusion:This means that biological psychiatry has the status of an ideology only, and the many papers arguing its case meet the definition of propaganda.