Scientology's War Against Psychiatry [1/5]

Dr. Stephen Wiseman is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, and Consultant Psychiatrist at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, BC. For a number of years he has been researching Scientology, its inventor L. Ron Hubbard, and the organization's anti-psychiatry arm, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights This is his first public talk about Scientology's war on Psychiatry, given at Vancouver's annual "Skepticamp" at UBC on March 20, 2010, and is of monumental significance in this long conflict.

Hubbard started a campaign http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_and_psychiatry against psychiatry 60 years ago that is supported by every Scientologist with either money or time. 24 years after Hubbard's death, this campaign has reached a fanatical level of hostility with multi-million dollar attack-media offensives and legal and extralegal programs to harm or destroy the profession and subject of psychiatry generally and psychiatrists' careers individually. Scientology's war on psychiatry under current Scientology head David Miscavige has not attained its goal, but it has negatively impacted public understanding and threatens to drive an extremely vulnerable set of citizens away from the option, science, hope and help that psychiatrists can be for them.

Dr. Wiseman describes what he and two colleagues have undertaken as a push back against Scientology in the name of his profession. This is the first such effort, certainly in the English-speaking world, and is long overdue. In the past, several individual psychiatrists speaking for themselves have stood up to Scientology and faced its organized and heavily-funded hostility. For this, Drs. Jolly West http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Jolyon_West and Jack Clark http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gordon_Clark remain respected figures to this day. Until now, however, no group of psychiatrists or professional organization such as the American Psychiatric Association has confronted or pushed back against the distortions and falsehoods of Scientology, and this has emboldened Miscavige's organization considerably over the years. With the work of Dr. Wiseman and his colleagues, these days are now over.

The Skeptics and related reason-promoting groups and individuals have been speaking out against Scientology's deceptions and anti-science for many years. Dr. Wiseman's talk and Q & A period are short because of the SkeptiCamp format, but he imparts considerable new information and many insights. It is obvious he has educated himself about Scientology and its war, and he says that the research he and his colleagues have done is at a level now where publication and further presentation options are under consideration. He has taken their endeavor this far while working full time in his medical specialty at a major metropolitan hospital. He is clearly articulate, well-informed, human, and reasonable, and for these reasons represents a formidable force against the shrill, destructive rage of Scientology.

http://www.ams.ubc.ca/clubs/skeptics/

http://www.bcskeptics.info/index.cgi

http://www.cficanada.ca/vancouver

http://www.bcskeptics.info/skepticamp/index.html
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Thanks to Gerry Armstrong for writing the description, transcribing the power point slides, and transcribing audience questions.

All copyrighted material is used under the guidelines of "Fair Use" in title 17 & 107 of the United States code, and under articles 29 & 29.1 of the Canadian Copyright Act. Such material remains the property of the original owner of the copyright and is used here for the purpose of education, comparison, and criticism only.

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http://rapidshare.com/files/376809069/Prt03.divx.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/376809088/Prt02.divx.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/376808831/Prt01.divx.html

Category:

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[TheFriendlyEngineer]

Psychiatrists are the biggest charlatans and con men in America.They should be jailed for their scam and manipulation on the gullible society.Quacks !

[HyperNessie]

Scientologists are anti psychiatry because they don't wan't to admit they're insane!

[seanmchughinfo]

unlistenable

[quentinkrisp]

The international president of CCHR (the scientology front group that wants "global obliteration" of psychiatry), Jan Eastgate (aka Janice Wendy Eastgate Meyer) has earned a new charge in court in Sydney Australia in addition to her first charge of Perverting the Course of Justice for coaching an 11yo girl from a scientologist family not to go to the police after being abused by her step father. How about that? It should be hitting the newsmedia later. Will they blame the 'psychs' for this?

[wwwtotalitaerde]

In today Germany systematic maltreatment of children is organized by the state and executed by snitchers.The psychiatric literature holds many reports of jewish children having been persecuted in exactly this way.Since WW2 psychiatry was regularly misused by Germany to discredit and persecute the NAZI victims.Germany pretended to pay compensation to get the former victims into the hand of shrinks certifying them being mental cases due to persecution.Sometimes they even got some 100$ compensation

[EstrellaPolux]

Hello Dr. Weisman, would you accept some electroshocks on your brain ? don´t you ?

[emotionalinvalid]

Dr. Weisman has a vested interest in defending psychiatry. Psychiatry is far more harmful than Scientology(again, have concerns about scientology)

[emotionalinvalid]

Those who should be most protected by law against forced psychiatric drugging are those they are supposed to help:the nonviolent auditory and visual hallucinators, those who are delusional("i am the king of spain"), engage in soliloquy(i.e. talk to themselves), even screamers. If the torture drugs help they should have the right to take them if THEY THE PATIENT SAY THE DRUGS HELP, NOT ANYONE ELSE. having greater than normal sense or cognitive experiences is not a crime

[emotionalinvalid]

Scientology, not a fan. but they are "spot on" against forced psych drugging. I am not even schizophrenic. I am ptsd from an anti-psychotic medication induced akathisia. this is like being in a 24/7 panic attack, you can't stop walking(out of desperation, not neurological "restless legs"). every day i came to a medical emergency due to this. what saved my life was a different doctor giving me a drug to counteract. shrinks=dr.mengeles, anti-psychotic meds=torture in a benign looking pill

[emotionalinvalid]

@persianelephant they choose psychiatry because they were medical school screw ups. psychiatry, if you are rich, may be a helpful thing: a listening ear for an hour or two every two weeks or so, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and very reluctant to rx drugs, only short term. If your are like the 99% its five minutes or less and an rx that will either torture, shorten your life span, addict, etc. If not for a coincidence of gp blood work and shrink rx with out it, i would have died.

[persianelephant]

@scottyb453 No you don't have to be a scientologist. The problem is that patient's have their own voice and their own advocacy groups. These groups are looking to reform psychiatry- however scientologists have hijacked the patient's voice and are asking for radical abolishment. FYI: psychiatrists are the second worst paid medical specialty (less than family docs) and 8 years of education starting from med school. If it was about the money, they wouldn't have chosen psyc as a medical specialty.

[MetalBru01]

@TheFriendlyEngineer Hail Xenu!