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From Thomas Szasz book: "Psychiatry, the Science of Lies" (2008, p. 11) - "Let us ask the crucial questions once more: What counts as genuine disease? Who has the 'right to produce illness'? How do we distinguish real disease from fake disease, literal illness from metaphorical illness? Physicians, as we have seen, are legally authorized to manufacture diagnoses regardless of disease criteria, and media may assist them in conflating invented diagnoses with imaginary illnesses. But they cannot create or produce disease.
We use two criteria to distinguish real disease from fake disease: one is phenomenological, the other etiological. Phenomenologically, to qualify as a disease, the condition must be objectively identifiable as a pathoanatomical or pathophysioloigical lesion or process-for example, a microbial infection or histologically demonstrated cellular abnormality. Etiologically, the condition must be a product of impersonal natural forces or processes or physical injury-for example, a malignant process or bone fracture. These measures are not my idiosyncratic criteria. To the contrary, they are the conventional nineteenth-century pathological criteria of disease, formulated to place diagnosis and treatment on a scientific foundation. It is this foundation that physicians then used to lobby the state to create a medical monopoly restricting the practice of medicine to physicians whose training is attested to, and whose privilege-often erroneously called a 'right'-to practice their craft is granted by the state. However, it is not science but the alleged interest of the public that rationalized and justified this restriction. During approximately the same period that medicine acquired an increasingly science-based foundation, so also did many other fields of practical knowledge, such as chemistry and nutrition. Yet neither chemists nor cooks need a license to practice their craft."
Knowing that science and hence medicine has its roots in the astronomy and the pagan religions that studied the celestial entities (astronomy), which one could easily define as a craft or witch craft as pagan religions typically are. Nonetheless, psychiatry as a 'medical illness' is an oxymoron as it is not based in the physical or sensory realm with which pagans, scientists and medical professionals prize - rejecting the spiritual element to many traditional religions. In deed psychiatry as initially characterized as a metaphorical illnesses since the doctor has no physical evidence of the illness many then and several who recognize it as faking illness or lying as Szasz so clearly puts it. Effectively separating the branch of "medicine" from the scientific method that both science and medicine is based on and the tool of astronomy it was born out of.
Not wanting to leave profit on the table, the early 1800 century doctors sized the profit and for those who did not voluntary accept or play along with their lies they use(d) coercive, forced and controlled (including incarceration) means to secure the diagnosis, which has no requirement to prove disease and is often relied upon when there is no disease present. Psychiatry historical linkage to incarceration was born out of the fact that doctors finding no disease jailed these faking patients as fraud and forgers. The doctors willing to accept the lie and play along with and take over the game of faking disease begin to jail patients in traditional jails, hybrid jails (hospitals / asylum) and traditional jails as well as asylum, which became horrifically rejected by society giving rise to institutions (like an incarceration institution) or hospital floors.
In fact the drugs they administer have no proof of efficacy and are often produced by clinical research and trials rife with fraud and encouraged by profit. Patients are rarely every cured as many patients today are not cured and take drugs that are pulled off the market by the FDA (over 4,500 in one year - both medical drugs and medical products). Indeed morbidity and mortality rates are on the rise along with other health care costs "managing illness" and "managing drug usage" which is more often than not, ineffective for the disease and illnesses it seeks to treat. Why are patients taking theses drugs and medical products if they are never healed or cured
Because as Szasz points out "Disease or disability may result in loss of bodily function, loss of income, loss of opportunity, loss of freedom, and loss of life" (p.10). Thus in order to continue their craft / in many cases experimentation without authorization. Psychiatry from inside and outside of its profession continue to struggle (as they have since the beginning) with permission, authenticity and legitimacy being based on lies, faking and separation form the scientific method and effectively physical evidence, science and medicine having always been based on and established upon a metaphor and a profession born out a and based on a pagan religion and craft.
How can disease mongering impact your health? How can faking disease or doctors who lies regarding disease or mis-diagnose impact your health? Could some medical actions be witch craft at work? Would you want to know if your doctor was pagan (Wiccan)?
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