Bruce Levine
On the Autistic Spectrum or a Camus Anti-Hero? Rebellion Obtuseness in Psychiatry
n contrast to hyper-compliant mental health professionals, there are many artists, philosophers, and psychologically astute people who know that rebellion is not evidence of mental illness but a part of human nature. The novelist and philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960) in The Rebel (1951), an inquiry into revolt as an essential dimension of human beings, contrasts life-affirming rebellion with totalitarian-resulting revolution. I will return to another Camus classic, The Stranger (1942), to examine the societally unacknowledged rebellion that takes place for many individuals who psychiatry today sadly pathologizes with so-called autistic spectrum disorder.
On the Autistic Spectrum or a Camus Anti-Hero? Rebellion Obtuseness in Psychiatry
In contrast to hyper-compliant mental health professionals, there are many artists, philosophers, and psychologically astute people who know that rebellion is not evidence of mental illness but a part of human nature. The novelist and philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960) in The Rebel (1951), an inquiry into revolt as an essential dimension of human beings, contrasts life-affirming rebellion with totalitarian-resulting revolution. I will return to another Camus classic, The Stranger (1942), to examine the societally unacknowledged rebellion that takes place for many individuals who psychiatry today sadly pathologizes with so-called autistic spectrum disorder.
Malcolm X, Noam Chomsky, Sexual Predator Associations, and Legacy Twists
Malcolm X was far more deeply involved with a sexual predator—his superior, Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI)—than Noam Chomsky was involved with Jeffrey Epstein. However, Malcolm X’s association with Muhammad has had virtually no effect on Malcolm’s legacy, which has skyrocketed among the general public since his death.
Malcolm X, Noam Chomsky, Sexual Predator Associations, and Legacy Twists
Malcolm X was far more deeply involved with a sexual predator—his superior, Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI)—than Noam Chomsky was involved with Jeffrey Epstein. However, Malcolm X’s association with Muhammad has had virtually no effect on Malcolm’s legacy, which has skyrocketed among the general public since his death.
Surviving the Pain of an Authoritarian Demagogue Any Way We Can
Until recently, the predominant life pains that I have long seen in my psychologist day job include: abusive and neglectful parents, dysfunctional families, loveless marriages, lifelong loneliness, soul-crushing jobs, oppressive bosses, dehumanizing bureaucracies, and a variety of losses. However, the rise to power in the U.S. of an authoritarian demagogue has resulted in another major source of pain created not only by his actions but by his very being. From what I gather, many other mental health professionals are also hearing about the pains generated by him
Surviving the Pain of an Authoritarian Demagogue Any Way We Can
Until recently, the predominant life pains that I have long seen in my psychologist day job include: abusive and neglectful parents, dysfunctional families, loveless marriages, lifelong loneliness, soul-crushing jobs, oppressive bosses, dehumanizing bureaucracies, and a variety of losses. However, the rise to power in the U.S. of an authoritarian demagogue has resulted in another major source of pain created not only by his actions but by his very being. From what I gather, many other mental health professionals are also hearing about the pains generated by him.
Is Psychiatry’s Myth of Mental Health as Damaging as Its Myth of Mental Illness?
Myths include unfounded beliefs and fictional narratives used to explain frightening natural phenomena. Those of us who agree with Szasz that “mental illness” is a myth will often put quotes around the term to bring attention to its problematic nature. Should we also be bringing attention to the problematic nature of the term “mental health”?
Is Psychiatry’s Myth of Mental Health as Damaging as Its Myth of Mental Illness?
Myths include unfounded beliefs and fictional narratives used to explain frightening natural phenomena. Those of us who agree with Szasz that “mental illness” is a myth will often put quotes around the term to bring attention to its problematic nature. Should we also be bringing attention to the problematic nature of the term “mental health”?
Psychiatry’s Rightwing and Progressive Bigotries: How Each Enables the Megamachine
In the last century, whether the brand of the autonomy-stripping megamachine has been German Nazi fascism, Soviet totalitarian communism, or U.S. corporate capitalism, psychiatry has been an enabler of the megamachine—more later on psychiatry’s role in each of these systems.
Psychiatry’s Rightwing and Progressive Bigotries: How Each Enables the Megamachine
In the last century, whether the brand of the autonomy-stripping megamachine has been German Nazi fascism, Soviet totalitarian communism, or U.S. corporate capitalism, psychiatry has been an enabler of the megamachine—more later on psychiatry’s role in each of these systems.
