I joined the Pseudoscience-in-Psych Discussion List in
October. Actually, I was hoping to find out why Alex
Chernavsky's Pseudoscience-in-Psych website had disappeared
from cyberspace. It hadn't been updated for over a year, but
the archives would have been worth keeping online. There was
a discussion forum, and I posted some remarks about the
APA's psych.org website. I kept a copy. Here it is:
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Subject: How APA members see themselves

Does the masthead image on the American Psychiatric
Association's website say something about the way the
membership see themselves?

On the left there's a bald man in white coat and a
sour-looking woman in a white coat (a token psychiatric
nurse maybe?). On the right there's a 'nuclear family'
looking towards them in admiration ("Thanks for the Ritalin,
Doc!").

In between, the background is very dark, but it's possible
to make out (left-to-right) a brain scan, an EEG trace and
grouping of brain scans on one sheet. To be truly accurate
the masthead should have included several pill packs and a
pharmaceutical rep. with an armful of 'freebie' gifts for
the psychiatrist.
__________________________________

One thing that made laugh back then was the graphic of a
stethoscope on the home page. What the f*** does a
psychiatrist need a stethoscope for? Do they think they'll
be able to listen to the voices inside a schizophrenic's
head? Anyway, a regular contributor, Dave B.M., pointed out
that the APA logo shows the head of their founder, Benjamin
Rush, a man who subjected his patients to torture and
crackpot therapies. Yes, it's true. I found an article in an
online encyclopedia which said:

"Rush was also an advocate of forced psychiatric treatment.
According to historian of psychiatry Thomas Szasz, one of
Rush's favorite methods of treatment was to tie a patient to
a board and spin it at a rapid speed until all the blood
went to the head. He placed his own son in one of his
hospitals for 27 years, until he died. Rush also believed
that being black was a hereditary illness."

I'm mentioning this because I noticed on the APA website
recently that members are being asked to participate in a
Logo Survey. Have they realized that it's time to do away
with the reminder of Benjamin Rush's dubious legacy? There
is also a new flash animation banner image with four
pictures. The slogan on the banner says:

"Member driven - Science based - Patient focused"

I had to read it twice. At first I thought it said:

"Money driven - Pseudoscience based - drug focused"

Picture 1: Medical people. Two in white coats and one in a
surgical gown. Surgery for psychological distress? Wasn't
the inventor of lobotomy, Egas Moniz, shot and left
paralyzed by an ungrateful ex-patient?

Picture 2: A couple of clinicians examining a sheet of brain
scans.

Picture 3: Four shiny, happy people. Two who look like a
well-to-do retired couple, one young woman and a person of
color. None of them look like members of the urban poor, who
suffer the highest rates of psychiatric distress.

Picture 4: A woman in a white coat talking to two people in
business suits. Probably it's supposed to portray
relationship counselling, but it looks more like a
management meeting.

The pictures look clinical, not compassionate. The shiny,
happy people look like they were hired from an agency for a
one-off photo session.

Anyway, this is my way of introducing myself to the list
members.

Best regards,
Brad