15 March 2007

15th March 2007 - Johann Hari on "ADHD"

There's been a lot about "mental illness" and "mental health" in the media recently.
For example, they've repeated Stephen Fry's documentaries on his supposed "mental health problems."
There are no such things of course and mental illness does not exist.

Also a good article by Johann Hari in today's Independent about ADHD and other things.
("Change our Schools not our Children"

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-change-our-schools-not-our-children-440231.html )

Also there was documentary about Comic Relief's work with "mental health" services called "It's a Mad World" or something like that.

Whilst I welcome some attempt to reveal the reality of life as it is really lived, there are some things that give cause for concern which I will hopefully get round to writing about.

Johann comes tantalisingly close to concluding that there really is no such thing as ADHD.
Don't know why he doesn't go the whole hog.

He says many, many kids have been "misdiagnosed with ADHD". How is that possible???
There is no test for it and no meaningful definition. It doesn't exist. There is only behaviour involved. The emperor is wearing no clothes.
Johann, can't you see that it is entirely arbitrary that one person is diagnosed with it and another not diagnosed with it?
Child psychiatry is child abuse.

The article linked above is a classic example of ignoring the obvious conclusion of what you are yourself saying.