Quo vadis APA? Inroads of the medical model.

Sanua, Victor D.

doi:10.1080/08873267.1994.9976933

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The influence of the current edition is increased by the recent emphasis on accountability to managed care and empirically validated treatments (Task Force on Promotion and Dissemination of Psychological Procedures, 1995). At the same time, scholars continue questioning the utility of the DSM on theoretical, philosophical, political, and clinical grounds (Breggin, 1994;Caplan, 1995;Faidley & Leitner, 1993;Hillman & Ventura, 1992;Honos-Webb & Leitner, 2001;Kutchins & Kirk, 1997;Levy, 1992;Raskin & Epting, 1993;Sanua, 1994). These criticisms imply that the use of the DSM may be at best irrelevant and at worst destructive for clients.…”

Section: The Immovable Object: Dsm Diagnosesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Immovable Object Versus the Irresistible Force: Problems and Opportunities for Humanistic Psychology

Leitner

Phillips

2003

Journal of Humanistic Psychology

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is currently a professor of psychology at Miami University. He has published extensively on various topics relevant to humanistic psychology. He is the editor of The Humanistic Psychologist and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Constructivist Psychology. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and a past president of the Division of Humanistic Psychology. SALLY N. PHILLIPS, M.A., is currently a clinical psychology intern at the Stone Institute of Psychiatry at Northwestern Memorial Hospital/Northwestern University Medical School. She received her M.A. from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where she is completing her Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Her current research and clinical interests include integrating modern psychodynamic and humanistic/existential/constructivist theories and therapies. In addition, she has a long-standing interest in the psychology of adoption and is completing her dissertation on parents' perceptions of their adopted children's adjustment. SummaryThe immovable force of an increasingly reductionistic approach to understanding and treating psychological life and the irresistible force of people searching desperately for solutions to struggles that allow for meaning, purpose, and richness in life create serious challenges and great opportunities for humanistic psychology. Humanistic psychology, if it can grasp these opportunities, has the chance to transform the field of psychology. To do so, humanistic psychology will have to deal adequately with three major manifestations of this reductionistic approach to psychology: the DSM as the means for 156

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Section: The Immovable Object: Dsm Diagnosesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Immovable Object Versus the Irresistible Force: Problems and Opportunities for Humanistic Psychology

Leitner

Phillips

2003

Journal of Humanistic Psychology

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“…It must be stated that in the past, there were a few isolated voices who opposed the "medicalization" of psychology (Sanua, 1994c(Sanua, , 1995. However, in recent months, two major organizations have raised their voices about this trend.…”

Section: Indicatedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It would seem that this heavy dosage of misinformation has even had some serious influence on a small but very powerful group of clinical psychologists connected with The American Psychological Association, who as a consequence, have embraced the medical model (Sanua, 1994c) as an ideology for the purpose of espousing "prescription privileges" for the profession. The pronouncements of these psychologists have provided no scientific rationale in their articles for this major trend in the profession.…”

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confidence: 99%

The fallacy of the medical model and the dangers of psychotropic drugs as a mode of treatment for mental disorders

Sanua

1996

J Primary Prevent

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With the decline of psychoanalytic thinking since the 50's and the 60's, mental disorders have been attributed to organic factors. This has been influenced by Social Darwinism, a belief in the survival of the fittest. The implication of such a philosophy is that social intervention is not the appropriate approach for the treatment of mental aberrations. The source of the problem lies within the individual. For example, schizophrenia has been attributed to brain anomalies, chemical imbalances or to the inheritance of genetic factors. To this day, in spite of the research efforts in that direction, the pursuit of these findings were proven to be illusive. Nevertheless, the search continues with a complete neglect of social factors. One problem is that writers disagreeing with this philosophy, find it difficult to publish their dissenting views. Since the source of the problem is within the individual, aberrations should be treated with drugs. However the efficacy of these drugs have not yet been confirmed and instead have been causing a lot of physical problems for patients. It is unfortunate that a number of influential clinical psychologists have adopted the medical model and are trying to obtain by legislation "prescription privileges" for psychologists. The author believes that this trend could be destructive to the profession of psychology, since it will weaken if not destroy the humanistic approach in the treatment of the mentally ill.

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“…It is the psychiatry-drug company complex that Downloaded by [McGill University Library] at 10:06 06 February 2015 maintains the "delusion" of the sickness of schizophrenia, an appropriate term included in the title of Boyle's book. Drug companies seem to be making similar attempts in getting psychologists involved in the drug treatment of mental disorders (Sanua, 1994).…”

Section: The Genetic Causation Of Schizophreniamentioning

confidence: 99%

The myth of the organicity of mental disorders.

Sanua¹

1996

The Humanistic Psychologist

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This paper, a response to psychologists seeking "prescription privileges" principles, addresses the myths and fallacies of the medical model in psychological disorders. The Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association overwhelmingly voted for "prescription privileges" for psychologists during the APA convention in New York, August, 1995. The implication of such a decision is that organic factors play a role in functional mental disorders. Studies on the structure, chemical imbalances of the brain, and the genetics of these disorders, which have been carried out for almost 100 years since Kraepelin, are critically reviewed and the paucity and indeterminacy of the results are emphasized. It is felt that it would be a mistake for psychologists to adopt the medical model and the treatment of their patients with psychotropic drugs. Clinical psychologists with their scientific training should not get involved in an ideology and a mode of treatment with so many uncertainties, dangers and pitfalls. The perennial optimism of biological "breakthroughs," with the encouragement and financial support of drug companies, and the disregard of psychosocial factor continue to persist in spite of so many failures.

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Quo vadis APA? Inroads of the medical model.

Cited by 10 publications

References 31 publications

The Immovable Object Versus the Irresistible Force: Problems and Opportunities for Humanistic Psychology

The Immovable Object Versus the Irresistible Force: Problems and Opportunities for Humanistic Psychology

The fallacy of the medical model and the dangers of psychotropic drugs as a mode of treatment for mental disorders

The myth of the organicity of mental disorders.

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