UPDATE 5

14 May 2024

Dear Supporter,

Many thanks to those of you who got in touch with us following our last update.  If you would like us to publish your comments on our website, either anonymously or with your name, please let us know. 

Thrown Under The Bus

You may have seen our recent posting of Dr Philip Kiszely’s speech made at the New Culture Forum Spring conference.  He spoke movingly about his experience of cancellation and the effect this had on his mental health.  If you have your own story of cancellation to tell and would like to share it with us, please get in touch.

Cass, Columbo and the BPS

Our latest post on the website is a piece called Cass, Columbo and the BPS  by David Pilgrim of BPS Watch.  It’s a critique of The British Psychological Society, in which David names the transgender ideology activists who have captured the policy apparatus of the BPS.  He asks what the BPS will do in light of the findings of the Cass Review.  At the time of writing, nothing of any substance has been announced. 

David is a clinical psychologist and editor of the book British Psychology in Crisis: A Case Study in Organisational Dysfunction  which is well worth reading if you want to find out what is going wrong at the BPS. If you have an X/twitter account you can follow BPS Watch to keep abreast of the latest crises at this organisation.

Here are some other stories and articles that took our interest over the last few weeks, as well as our usual recommendations for helpful organisations and books. 

Mental Health Awareness ‘out of hand’?

Dr Allen J. Frances, a distinguished American psychiatrist, expresses his concern on X/twitter that ‘Mental Health Awareness’ has grown out of hand.  He argues that it “now contributes to a national contagion of emotional hyphochondria.”  What started as “well meaning efforts to reduce stigma” has led to the unintended consequences of “turning normal distress into disorder” and “the neglect of the really ill.”  In response to this post, UK psychotherapist Ben Sears asks: “When does raising awareness become priming?”  In other words, when does it become counterproductive?

In 2023, Lucy Foulkes and Jack L. Andrews published a paper on ‘the prevalence inflation hypothesis.’  They argue that efforts to raise awareness about mental health problems, while beneficial in reducing stigma and increasing help-seeking, also lead some individuals to ‘overinterpret’ milder forms of distress as something more serious. As a result, ‘normal’ distress is being reported as a mental health problem, inflating the prevalence figures. The authors call for further research to be conducted to test this hypothesis and find ways of minimising overinterpretation.  In Save Mental Health’s opinion this is crucial as NHS mental health services are already stretched due to high demand.

Neurodiversity and the dangers of self-diagnosis

Moheb Costandi’s  article  ‘Against Neurodiversity’ explores the unintended harmful consequences that are emerging from the neurodiversity movement.   Costandi, a molecular and developmental neurobiologist, explains that the term ‘neurodiversity’ was adopted in the late 1990s by sociologist Judy Singer, who viewed people with autism as ‘oppressed’ and suggested that their brains were just differently wired from those who were ‘neurotypical’.

 Advocates of the neurodiversity  movement view autism as a central part of an individual’s identity and believe it should be celebrated. Costandi argues that “the movement has good intentions, but it favours the high-functioning and overlooks those who struggle with severe autism.”  He cites the case of two brothers: Thomas and Jack. Both have autism, but while Thomas can live independently and earn a living as a translator, his brother Jack cannot communicate easily and “will require fulltime care for the rest of his life”. 

Costandi makes the point that by ‘romanticising’ neurodiversity, while also claiming there is no such thing as severe autism, and “harassing and bullying anyone who dares to portray autism negatively, or expresses a desire for a treatment or cure”, the movement is harming people like Jack and making it harder for them to get the help they need. 

 Another thorny issue related to neurodiversity is self-diagnosis.  In an important new paper two neuropsychiatrists at Kings College London highlight the dangers of self-diagnosis. Authors Anthony S. David and Quinton Deeley explain that self-diagnosis “comes from grassroots movements where ‘lived experience’ is given special value, and where diagnosis of a mental disorder is challenged”.  Diagnostic categories, such as Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), rather than being viewed as ‘disorders’, are seen as ‘variations of normality’. Instead, self-diagnosis is preferred. This is often associated with a positive identity which is considered to be a source of pride and strength”. 

The authors point out that, as a result, neurodiverse conditions are seen as incompatible with ‘disorder’ or the need for treatment.  This means that those who are experiencing more severe difficulties are, in the author’s words “marginalized and denied a voice”.  It is a cruel irony that those who need help the most, seem to be the least well represented by the neurodiversity movement.

Whistleblower suing Tavistock for ‘detriments and discrimination’

Dr Lynne Amidon is a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Manager of the Complex Assessment Team at the Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust.  Over the past 24 years, Lynne has  worked with abused and neglected children, trying to ensure they are given the best care, protection and safeguarding whilst under the auspices of the State system.  In her role at the Tavistock & Portman Trust, Lynne disclosed child welfare concerns to her colleague Sonia Appleby. You might hope that the Trust would take these concerns seriously and thank her for raising them. Sadly, this was not the case.

In an Employment Tribunal that starts on Tuesday 14th May, Lynne will be making the case that the Tavistock not only treated her badly but also discriminated against her because she is white. Lynne has instructed Elliot Hammer of Branch Austin McCormick LLP, who previously represented Sonia Appleby in her successful whistleblowing claim against the Tavistock in 2021.  It is hoped that Sonia Appleby herself will appear as a witness.

 Do please support Dr Lynne Amidon if you can, by donating to her crowdfund, posting on social media or telling others about her case. In Lynne’s words: “It has been an immense help when facing the full might of an NHS Trust in litigation to read your messages of support.”  Good luck Lynne.  Save Mental Health is with you all the way.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Student Academics For Academic Freedom

Academics for Academic Freedom have a new group for students in the UK and Ireland. Student Academics For Academic Freedom (SAFAF) was formed in May 2024 in recognition of the difficulties many students experience speaking up about ‘controversial’ topics and voicing their opinion. Membership is open to all students in the UK and Ireland, who are committed to defending free speech and academic freedom, regardless of their subject specialism or political views. SAFAF only asks potential members to sign the AFAF Statement of Academic Freedom.

The convenor of SAFAF is Heather McKee (University of Glasgow)

Contact SAFAF by email: StudentAFAF@protonmail.com

Follow SAFAF on X/Twitter: @StudentAFAF

Gay Shame: The Rise of Gender Ideology and the New Homophobia

This book by Gareth Roberts, makes the case that homophobia is making a major comeback, under the guise of gender identity ideology. He argues that a few years ago the fight for gay rights seemed to have been won but that the gay rights movement has been ‘colonised’ by an ideology that insists same-sex attraction is ‘hateful’.  Here is an edited extract from the book, published in Spiked. It’s an informative and entertaining read. Gareth Roberts is a screenwriter and novelist, best known for his work on Doctor Who.