They diagnosed me a schizophrenic when I was just a Gemini. ‘The other side of madness’

De-othering “schizophrenia”

“…For some, radical alienation may serve a protective, even adaptive function. Indeed, for those living under the description of a psychotic disorder (see Martin, 2009), attempts at “intervention” by mental health professionals might be experienced as quasi-empathic, patronizing, and/or colonizing (e.g., King, 2007). In order to understand how this happens, it is necessary to suspend, at least momentarily, the traditional psychoanalytic notion that persons experiencing psychosis are incapable of transference.…”

Introduction to the Special Issues on Diagnostic Alternatives

“…King’s (2007) statement echoes that of Foucault (1965/1988), who (in)famously claimed that the designation of madness as mental illness engendered a kind of silence or broken dialogue, and that psychiatric discourse, “which is a monologue of reason about madness, has been established only on the basis of such a silence” (Foucault, 1961/1965, pp. x-xi).…”

“…The patient must be their own advocate, whilst this role is neglected by the professional, because advocacy, as a political and emotional approach, would lead to questioning of the whole ethos on which the diagnosis is based. (King, 2007, p. 26) King's (2007) statement echoes that of Foucault (1965Foucault ( /1988, who (in)famously claimed that the designation of madness as mental illness engendered a kind of silence or broken dialogue, and that psychiatric discourse, "which is a monologue of reason about madness, has been established only on the basis of such a silence" (Foucault, 1961(Foucault, /1965. We hope that this series of special issues can be a starting place for professionals to join hands with service users in advocacy-to generate speech in places of silence and broken dialogue.…”

“…For example, the second issue in the series features proposals for specific alternatives to the DSM and the International Classification of Diseases that have been proposed by leading researchers in the field. We hope that you will enjoy this special issue series, which aspires towards rectifying the situation that Colin King (2007), who writes about social and racial justice issues in psychiatric diagnosis (see also Robbins, Karter, & Gallagher, 2015), noticed on his “journey from being diagnosed to moving toward being a survivor and activist” (p. 12): The patient must be their own advocate, whilst this role is neglected by the professional, because advocacy, as a political and emotional approach, would lead to questioning of the whole ethos on which the diagnosis is based. (King, 2007, p. 26)…”

“…The patient must be their own advocate, whilst this role is neglected by the professional, because advocacy, as a political and emotional approach, would lead to questioning of the whole ethos on which the diagnosis is based. (King, 2007, p. 26)…”