Psychiatrists and their membership body, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, consistently speak about crises in their profession. A lamenting narrative and a call for more Government funding could easily convince members of the public that a higher proportion of their taxes should be spent.
Trigger words such as “overstretched” and under-resourced” are used to describe mental health services where the default setting is predominantly pessimistic.
Shrewd investors scrutinise the overall value of a product in a given industry or profession. They consider value for money, the longevity of a product and its workability. In view of the revolving mental health door, psychiatry is dogged by poor value for money, recalls due to faulty and damaging procedures, and iatrogenic illnesses that occur as a result of psychiatric prescribing habits.
An observation of this in action relates to depression. The use of antidepressants is increasing year on year but depression is reported as getting worse. From 2019 to 2023, over £1bn was spent in England on 324 million antidepressant prescriptions. The drugs chemically mask mental difficulties, giving the appearance of being ‘demonstrably effective’. But when a person decides to stop or withdraw, they are left with the same difficulties that were present when the drug was prescribed.
Another observation relates to psychosis. Psychiatric drugs commonly prescribed for people experiencing psychosis can create a condition called akathisia, a restlessness which can be characterised by violence, aggression and even suicide. To add insult to injury, psychiatrists claim this is associated with the mental illness, and prescribe further psychiatric ‘treatment’ to counter the effects of the initial treatment. It demonstrates the revolving door of the mental health system that keeps people sick.
Just as physical health would be the outcome of effective physical healing, so would mental health have to be the outcome of effective mental healing. Psychiatrists however are making people into patients for life.
The harsh reality of any comparison between physical and mental healing breaks down when contrasting the results of physical healing to the results of what passes for mental treatment today. Based on results, psychiatry would have gone financially bankrupt a long time ago if it were not for public funds that are propping it up. As for moral bankruptcy; that happened a long time ago.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists continues in its pursuit of what it calls ‘parity of esteem,’ defined as ‘valuing mental health equally with physical health.’ Based on results, this is never going to happen. Leading psychiatric agencies such as the World Psychiatric Association admit psychiatrists don’t know the causes or cures for any mental disorder or what their treatments specifically do to the patient. It’s an expensive lottery.
If psychiatry ever cured a person of their mental difficulties, it would go out of business. It’s up to the many discerning taxpayers to recognise the psychiatric charade and call for the diversion of funds towards real medicine which treats the actual cause of illness rather than continually drugging symptoms that perpetuate a profession that does not deliver what it promised.
