"Clint O'Dell" <clintodell@hotmail.com> writes:
> Phil Osborn wrote:
> >Then, in the 50's and 60's, the American Psychiatric Association, in their
> >wisdom, benevolence, and amazing sanity, was responsible for carving up
> >tens of thousands of peoples brains in frontal lobotomies, etc., or
> >subjecting them to brain damaging drug or electroshock.
>
> They still subject people, normal and not, to brain damaging drugs. I hope
> for humanity they don't still perform electroshock or lobotomies.
ECT, Electroconvulsive therapy is still used to treat some forms of depression, with fairly good results. Psychosurgery is also done today, although much, much less than in the past. Check medline for studies on efficacies and methods.
> >Bottom line: If I were to try to increase my credibility, I don't think I
> >would quote the American Psychaitric Association.
>
> They certainly don't have my respect.
There is a big deal of difference between respect and credibility. Saying that the APA has no credibility is roughly like saying that the IAU, the International Astronomical Union, has no credibility. Sure, they have been wrong about things in the past and even done stupid things, but that doesn't mean everything they do and say can be discounted - there is plenty of good, well researched and argued science going on too. What is needed is critical thinking to separate the chaff from the wheat.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y