Handing Out Props

The bipolar disorder diagnosis explosion, the torturous American Psychological Association and more... Posts you must read include the following:

• Bipolar rates are increasing as long as you're willing to call everything bipolar and defy God's will. That's the title of the post over at The Last Psychiatrist. And you need to read it. Now. While you're there, you'll want to check out an excellent read on what "borderline personality disorder" actually means.
  
• Both Furious Seasons and Psych Central have hammered on the latest revelations about antipsychotics being doled out for 0-5 year olds in Florida. Yes, I said 0-5 year olds, often diagnosed with ADHD. Who needs Ritalin when you can dole out Zyprexa? Better yet, how about combining the two and adding a couple more psych meds just for fun. The report into antipsychotic use among kids in Florida's Medicaid program is here.
  
• The joke that is continuing medical education just got funnier, in a tragic sort of way. Read all about it at the Carlat Psychiatry Report.
• The Scientific Misconduct Blog continues to document atrocities in the world of science at a breakneck rate. Every single post on the site is worth a read, and I was particularly drawn to the post about the great Prozac coverup.
• Dr. John Grohol notes that while it is easy to bash psychiatry as a profession, psychologists can hardly be smug about their own field. And he just so happened to hit on the exact two issues that drive me most crazy about the American Psychological Association: 1) APA is pushing as hard as it possibly can to get psychologists "prescription privileges." Can you say "psychology losing its identity?" 2) APA's stance on psychologists serving as, um, "consultants" to the U.S. military regarding the interrogation/torture of detainees has enraged a good chunk of its membership. Nice call, John! After reading Grohol's post, you can find more reading on psychologists and torture here, here and here (among many places). Note that the American Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association clearly forbid their members from any involvement whatsoever in interrogations. But the APA allows its members to participate because it (allegedly) helps to avoid abuses. Yeah, that has worked out really well so far. I can't think of any abuses. Nope. Not a single one.