The power of III

Summum ius summa iniuria--More law, less justice
--Cicero.

30 October 2010

Story about psychiatrists having a diagnosis of oppositional defiant disorder...

And applying it to freethinkers, anti-government types, and constitutionalists...is bunk. This BS is making the rounds in the blogosphere.

The assertion about ODD applying to anti State types holds no water whatsoever;  if you read the 3 pages of the DSM -IV manual linked to at the website, free thinkers, antigovernment types, and constitutionalists are not mentioned.  The diagnosis is made when the person has impaired function of their social or professional life secondary to an oppositional behavior pattern that even a layperson would notice as inappropriate or over the top.  

Now, if you tell me that a government employed psychiatrist conspired to keep someone locked up with this diagnosis, or a conduct disorder diagnosis, I suppose that could happen anecdotally...but this story is making the rounds in the right wing blogosphere and, I believe, keeps getting posted without someone vetting it properly. I recommend deleting the story, and getting word around to other sites that published the links to the original that someone mis-read the source. It makes us look bad, and I for one don't want that.

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