Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd notes that psychiatry’s diagnostic bible, the DSM, is "By no stretch of the imagination is it a scientific, evidence-based document. It is–and always has been–an unsubstantiated catalog of behaviors deemed "mental illnesses."

Its primary goal is to expand the psychiatry’s reach and billable territory:

"The quest to add sex addiction to the catalogue of recognized illness states is just a part of the desire of psychiatrists to identify everything as problematic."

"If you want to call in sick, go to the library and find a copy – it’s a treasure trove of sick-day opportunities".

He reminds (those who need reminding) that psychiatry’s "diagnostic" designations are as fickle as its worthless treatments–some behaviors designated as "illnesses" in one edition of the DSM have been dropped while "several forms of therapy once popular have, on the basis of evidence, been sidelined."

In the 1990s medical inscribers examined the validity of Thomas Szasz’s claims that psychiatry is a fraud: "they looked at 50,000 cases handled by the National Medical Enterprises Corporation’s psychiatric hospitals. What they found was startling: 32.6 per cent contained a fraudulent diagnosis to match insurance coverage, while 43.4 per cent of the cases were billed for services not actually rendered."

The approach to defining mental illness has not been revised in all these years–indeed, none of the DSM "diagnostic" labels are backed by scientific evidence. Therefore, an examination of the validity of charges submitted to medical insurers for psychiatric diagnoses and services will likely save taxpayers millions of wasted dollars.

Dr. Murgatroyd asks," Is systematic deception to be a new addiction and a new DSM category?"

"It may actually be the case that psychiatry itself is the new disorder in need of treatment."

Vera Hassner Sharav