"Medical Model" (the label) is itself an over-simplification. When a quite rational individual finds himself sitting on the floor leaning against a couch rather than sitting on the couch, attempting to get the (something or other) needed to teach a class in two hours, _something_ is wrong, and all the labels and anti-labels in the world don't solve it.
Carrol
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org [mailto:lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org]
On
> Behalf Of shag carpet bomb
> Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2012 9:14 AM
> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Thomas Szasz, R.I.P.
>
> Actually, the author of the book I posted about is arguing that the
disease
> model, long advanced as a "useful prop" and more humane, turns out to be
> just as inhumane and horrid for sufferers. He's basically arguing against
> the claim that there has been a necessary "progress" in treatment simply
> because the "disease" model is operative.
>
> To the contrary, his argument (which is actually voicing an argument made
> by a faction of mental disability activists themselves) is that the
> labeling we use now combined with debilitating drugs treats people as
> incapable of participating in work, family, and community and they come to
> see themselves as incapable as well.
>
> The problem is, they're never going to get help to do anything otherwise
> and get better treatment, unless they do it themselves because the
medical
> community is married to the Feed 'em a Pill Model. As my doctor told me:
> "Sorry, I have 15 minutes for you. Let's focus on one thing. It's just
the
> way it is. That's why most doctors will write a prescription and send you
> home. I don't like it, but this is the way it is."
>
> As Grace said, (and even someone from the Netherlands said): 15 minutes
> with a patient is on the "high" side. Lucky he even spent that long with
me.
>
> At 09:09 PM 9/15/2012, Carrol Cox wrote:
> >I don't know if anyone ever took "chemical imbalance" as technically
> >correct, but it was a useful prop for sufferers. Probably the terminology
&
> >the diagnosis will be quite different in another decade or three -- but
> >behind it all there is a fucking lot of real human misery.
> >
> >Carrol
> >
> >P.S. My optical cortex is undoubtedly loony. As an opthamologist
remarked,
> >if you think they're real you need another kind of doctor! I haven't been
> >able to see the E on eye charts for three years: some optical
hallucination
> >covers it. If I could draw the faces I see I could make a fortune
designing
> >monsters for movies. At first they were quite varied, both realistic and
> >fantastic, but they've become a bore in silly shades of green.
> >
> >___________________________________
> >http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>
> --
> http://cleandraws.com
> Wear Clean Draws
> ('coz there's 5 million ways to kill a CEO)
>
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