Gareth o'Callaghan, Peter Bregin, Michael Corry

ronbyrne2005

See some conference on depression is being organised by the above and being advertised on radio etc. I think Corry and Bregin have some dubious claims/beliefs and the average person may be put off seeking conventional treatment and assume their claims and beliefs are true for everyone due to endorsement of the likes of Gareth o'Callaghan

pH

For those interested:
http://www.activelink.ie/ce/active.php?id=4071
http://www.wellbeingfoundation.com/time_for_change.html

Lots of moaning about the state of psychiatry (some of which I'd agree with), but absolutely no real statement of what their answer is - anyone got any solid information on what they say is the solution to depression?

Myksyk

Just have a look at Corry's book "Going Mad: Understanding Mental Illness". It's absolutely atrocious. Paul O'Donoghue has had numerous debates with him through the pagers of the Irish Psychologist on his so-called alternatives to understanding mental illness. For example, if I recall correctly, he interprets one case study where a woman is suffering depression as being due to the fact that she lost a child in a previous life!!!! He is a touter of nonsense. He believes that a lot of mental health problems are best addressed by balancing your chakras. If you want to read the worst book ever written on mental health problems read "Going Mad". It's co-written with Aine Tubridy, another purveyor of half-baked notions and arrant nonsense.

ronbyrne2005

How is Corry still employed in public hospital if he does'nt beleive in all the conventional treatments that the vast majority of irish psychiatrists use? I think the most annoying thing he says is that depression is just an emotion. Logic would tell you that due to genetics some people would have different levels of chemicals that determine mood in their brains and were more prone to depression, this s why many mental health disease run in families. Also i have experience with depression when i took an ecstacy tablet a few years ago, for weeks after taking it i was seriously depressed and anxious and everything seemed so dark and desperate and this was obviously as a result of temporay serotonin depletion from the tablet combined with fact i was prone to mild depression/low mood from time to time but not seriously depressed before the ecstacy.

ronbyrne2005

Also wheres the evidence that his approach works? Peer reviewed studies? Placebo controlled etc.

Myksyk

We need to make changes in Mental Health care but the last thing we need is to make them in the direction that Corry thinks we should. Let's not replace a limited, partially correct approach to mental health as currently obtains in our services with a mystical, fairytale approach which relies on anecdote, vacuous sentiment and plain old honest-to-goodness Bulls**t!

Playboy

Myksyk wrote:

Just have a look at Corry's book "Going Mad: Understanding Mental Illness". It's absolutely atrocious. Paul O'Donoghue has had numerous debates with him through the pagers of the Irish Psychologist on his so-called alternatives to understanding mental illness. For example, if I recall correctly, he interprets one case study where a woman is suffering depression as being due to the fact that she lost a child in a previous life!!!! He is a touter of nonsense. He believes that a lot of mental health problems are best addressed by balancing your chakras. If you want to read the worst book ever written on mental health problems read "Going Mad". It's co-written with Aine Tubridy, another purveyor of half-baked notions and arrant nonsense.

It's funny that this book has come up as I'm reading it at the moment along with Aine Tubridy's solo effort “When Panic Attacks”. I must say I was enjoying Tubridy's book and found it quite helpful (I suffer with Panic attacks as of late) until I came across this past life and chakra material. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I started reading "Going Mad" and saw contributions from spiritual healers, Aromatherapists and Homeopaths. Astonishing that these people would print this stuff and try to pass it off as reputable.

JuliusCaesar

Do the professional societies not have a duty to prevent this kind of nonsence being spread around in the media by these mystical thinkers?

PSI code of ethics states in the preamble: Psychologists are scientist-practitioners - that is, their professional practice is grounded in a body of
scientific knowledge.

When did chakras enter the scientific arena?

This ties into an interest of mine - which may be bbetter suited to the psychology board - as to how various therapies seem to take on an almost religious fervour in their proponants. They seem to take a 'faith' based attitude to their brand of therapy.