Letters to the Editor:
Dear Brian:
My son Barry Schwartz forwarded me the attached reply post by John M. Price,
PhD to the cited message that BRemigio posted on the newsgroup: sci.psychology.psychotherapy.
Dr. Price's reply post represents, to me, a beautiful and powerful statement
against the inaccurate, stigmatizing, etc., myths that "mental illness
is a
myth" and that "mental illness is not biologically based."
The convincing arguments by Dr. Price support the National Alliance for
the
Mentally Ill (NAMI) anti-stigma theme - "Open Your Mind - Mental Illnesses
are Brain Disorders" - in the most resounding and convincing way that
I
personally have ever seen.
Sincerely,
Jack Schwartz, President
Sweetwater County (WY) Alliance for the Mentally Ill (SWAMI)
================ATTACHMENT====================================
From: jmprice@calweb.com (John M Price)
Newsgroups: sci.psychology.psychotherapy
Subject: Re: Mental Ilness
Date: 26 Oct 1996 18:44:09 GMT.
Newsgroups: sci.psychology.psychotherapy
Message-ID: <54tm5p$2ek@news.calweb.com>
References: <54s669$2le@newsbf02.news.aol.com>
In article <54s669$2le@newsbf02.news.aol.com> BRemigio wrote:
: I am a senior college student and for my modern psychology class I am
: doing a paper trying to prove that mental illness is a myth. I was
: wondering if anyone had any research, information or could help me
: contact someone who could be helpful.
: I also need to show that mental illness is not biologically based..
: Any help would be appreciated
: Thank you.
First you need to get a mind that is brain free. Then maybe you can so
start.
What are you trying to be, a Christian Scientist of psychiatry?
Why the idea that the brain is free from deficits still lingers on is
really beyond me, and speaks so dramatically as to the level of education
in the US. We see EtOH modify behavior, and claim it is NOT biological?
We see other drugs do the same thing, and these do NOT modify behavior?
Amazing, really amazing the idiocy involved in this quest. Ferchrisakes,
it is nearly the 21st century, about halfway into the decade of the brain,
and this SENIOR (!!!!!) does not know enough to realize his plight? Maybe
his modernity is best spent looking for the little demons torturing the
spirits here?
When you find out that Alzheimer's is not a biological disorder, I might
recant a bit. Then you can explain the loss of brain tissue in
schizophrenics (yes even those without drugs).
You do of course realize your plight? That if these disorders were not
(even if only in some minor way) biological, then in fact the biological
treatments would not work. But they do, even from the perspective of the
patients.
Perhaps you should find a lawyer and get a refund on your educational
costs.
--
John M. Price, PhD
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