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Destructive Trends in Mental Health

The Well Intentioned Path to Harm

  • Price: $44.95 $40.46
  • Hardback: 384 pages
  • Also available in e-Book
  • Published: March 2005
  • ISBN: 978-0-415-95086-2
  • Publisher: Routledge

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This book takes as its inspiration the assumption that the atmosphere of intellectual openness, scientific inquiry, aspiration towards diversity, and freedom from political pressure that once flourished in the American Psychological Association has been eclipsed by an "ultra-liberal agenda," in which voices of dissent, controversial points of view, and minority groups are intimidated, ridiculed and censored.

Chapters written by established and revered practitioners explore these important issues within the contexts of social change, the ways in which mental health services providers view themselves and their products, and various economic factors that have affected healthcare cost structure and delivery.

In short, this book is intended to help consumers, practitioners, and policy makers to become better educated about a variety of recent issues and trends that have significantly changed the mental health fields.

Table of Contents

The Editors. The Authors. Cummings, Preface. Wright, Introduction. Part I: Political Correctness, Sensitivity and Diversity. Cummings, O'Donohue, Psychology's Surrender to Political Correctness. O'Donohue, Cultural Sensitivity: A Critical Examination. Zur, The Psychology of Victimhood. O'Donohue, Caselles, Homophobia: Conceptual, Definitional, and Value Issues. Part II: Mental Healthcare Economics. Cummings, Expanding a Shrinking Economic Base: The Right Way, the Wrong Way, and the Mental Health Way. Glasser, Warning: Psychiatry may be Hazardous to Your Health. Wright, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: What It Is and What It Is Not. Wright, The Myth of Continuing Education: A Look at Some Intended and (Maybe) Unintended Consequences. Part III: Political Influence on Science and Practice. Gottfredson, Suppressing Intelligence: Hurting Those We Intend to Help. Lilienfeld, Lohr, Lynn, Fowler, Pseudoscience, Nonscience and Nonsense in Contemporary Clinical Psychology. Rosemond, The Diseasing of America's Children: The Politics of Diagnosis. O'Donohue, Dyslin, Abortion, Boxing, and Zionism: Politics and the APA. Zur, The Dumbing Down of Psychology: Faulty Beliefs about Boundary Crossings and Dual Relationships. Lillis, O'Donohue, Cucciare, Lillis, Social Justice in Community Psychology. Redding, Sociopolitical Diversity in Psychology: The Case for Pluralism.

Author/Editor Biography

Rogers H. Wright, Ph.D., is currently retired from professional service after a long and distinguished career. Dr Wright was a Co-founder and Partner of Fiske, Levy & Wright Psychological Consultants to Management for almost 40 years, before serving as CEO of the Association for the Advancement of Psychology. During his illustrious career, Dr. Wright was elected as President of Division 31 of the APA, once in 1969 - the year he founded the division - and again in 1986, the California State Psychological Association (2 terms), and the APA's Division of Clinical Psychology. Dr. Wright has served as the Chair of a number of organizations and has been the recipient of an astounding array of professional honors and awards.

Nicholas A. Cummings, Ph.D., Sc.D., is Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Clinical Psychology, and President, Foundation for Behavioral Health at the University of Nevada at Reno. Dr. Cummings is a Past-President of the American Psychological Association and founder of American Biodyne, the first behavioral healthcare HMO