Finished Tu 6/21/11
This is a clever book, but I think that when all is said and done, the real culprit, and the source of all of the confusion, is not really the test to determine psychopathy, but the entire 'Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV)'. Suddenly, health care professionals were provided a way to categorize hundreds of conditions by simply applying a checklist which was vague and misleading at best. And, coupled with voracious drug companies looking to increase their profit margins by providing a 'chemical fix' for these new diagnoses, you have The Perfect Storm in the mental health field.
A little over half way through the book the author realizes that subjecting prisoners to this test might be a bit contrived, and he wonders if other professions harbor people with psychopathic traits. He interviews a particularly unscrupulous CEO, and this man certainly exhibits psychopath behavior. I would go one step further, and wager that ALL professions contain individuals who embody certain degrees of psychopathic behavior. After reading this book it seems that for every person who has been correctly diagnosed via the DSM-IV, there have been many, many more who have been misdiagnosed, and scarred for life. And, at the very least, exposed to a myriad of untested drugs.
It seems to me that very similar criteria were used in the Salem Witch Trials of the late seventeenth century. If you were asked if you were a witch, and you said "No", then that would prove that you were a witch, because Satan empowered you to lie about your diabolical status.
When I finished this book I know that I will certainly try to refuse any forms of psychological testing for fear that I will be judged, "Insane" or "Anti-Social". Of course, by refusing to cooperate I just might be sealing my fate.
No comments:
Post a Comment