Critical Psychology & Psychiatry

Critical psychology and critical psychiatry refers to bringing a critical perspective
on the aims and practices of these professions.

*How have psychologists and psychiatrists come to be thought of as experts
regarding human distress?
*Are psychology and psychiatry benign or can their ideas and practices harm
as much as they help?
*How come increasing numbers of people are being referred (or referring themselves)
for therapy and taking powerful psychiatric drugs?
*Why are our children warned against taking speed (amphetamine) and ‘pushers’ of this
drug imprisoned whilst at the same time amphetamine and similar stimulants are being
prescribed for children when their behaviour is deemed to be so inappropriate it warrants
a diagnosis of ADHD?

Some articles of interest available on this website and published by members
of the department include:

Coming Off Medication	Can I see the Test Results please?	Clinical Psychology and service user involvement: our business?
Visiting the MIND crisis house	From Anti-Psychiatry to Critical Psychology	Not at all in the genes
Community Psychology and poverty	Drug companies and clinical psychology	On Evidence
Speaking Out	Critical Reflection in clinical psychology training	Clinical Psychology training-learning to like cabbage
Clinical psychologists should not have powers under the new mental health legislation	Government policy and the people who work for the NHS	Countering the medicalisation of everything

ECT page

Links:

Peter Breggin	Asylum Magazine
Dorothy Rowe	David Smail
West Midlands Critical and Community Psychology Interest Group	Critical Psychiatry Network