Propaganda Corner: Psychiatry: An Industry of Death

In this first installment of Propaganda Corner, I shall be looking at Psychiatry: An Industry of Death.

Background
Psychiatry: An Industry of Death (PAIoD) is a film supposedly exposing the dark history of the mental illness field. It is produced by an organisation known as the citizens Commision for Human Rights (CCHR). CCHR is a group founded by the religious organisation known as the Church of Scientology, founded by writer L Ron Hubbard. Hubbard wrote a book called "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health". A book with unfounded medical claims. It is said his anti psychiatry stance is due to the direct competition it has with his Dianetics. In the course of a year, Dianetics became reorganised into the religion now known as Scientology. The Church of Scientology either on its own or through CCHR maintains an anti-psychiatry stance since.

The movie it self

PAIoD Starts with news clippings about drug releases and rise of mental illness. Then it cuts to snippets of interviews with supposed victims of psychiatrists. After the title card we get a history of psychiatry as told by CCHR. Emphasis is on the treatments which are primitive and torturous. Making claims the field was nothing more than a scam to make money, much like Dianetics in my opinion. The movie makes use of a lot of dark stylised images and stock footage of suffering.

The next part teaches how psychiatrists believed man is a soulless animal ruled solely in instinct. So now they are showing psychiatrists training people like animals using repetitive techniques. (Though scientology's Training Routines could be comparable). Techniques include electric aversion therapy.

The third part. Eugenics. A so called psychiatric invention. Described as a "pseudo-science". Despite the fact eugenics has been practiced by farmers for centuries when breeding animals and crops. Emphasis is on the eugenics on humans. Now I see nothing wrong with breeding more desirable aspects, such as people being born without appendixes (they serve no purpose now but to kill when infected) but I do not believe in "undesirable" people. Psychiatrists are claimed to have been the force that motivated Hitler and the Nazis to perform the horrific event we know as the Holocaust. They claim Eugenics is the justification for racism, which is furthered in the next part.

Eugenics Racist? We start with the bold claim that racism is inseparable with psychiatry. Claims that psychiatry was solely against black people. That it is the cause of slavery (not religion it seems) They also claimed that psychiatry is responsible with Apartheid in South Africa and the rise of such groups as the Klu Klux Klan. This is because supposedly because black people are "genetically inferior"

The next part makes the claim psychiatry was used in communist Russia as a means of dealing with political descent. While this is likely, it is not grounds to condemn the whole field. Locking up dissidents claiming they were mentally defunct. We are treated to the stories of the survivors from the regime. The movie claims now that Psychiatry is still used in this manner to keep people in line using torture.

The next part of the movie makes the claim psychiatrists deliberately use brain damage as a treatment. Showing the rise of Electro Convulsive Therapy and lobotomies. Lobotomies are described as being performed using icepicks in the eyes, a method which Hubbard seemed particularly fond of describing in his books. It is also in this section that makes the claim no progress is made in studying psychiatry, simply old methods being revamped and reused. And they also claim psychiatrists specifically target women and the elderly.

The next section states that psychiatrists have discovered the profitable usefulness of pushing drugs onto people. The movie claims that drugs are pushed despite the side effects. That the side effects were kept quiet so they could continue to make money on the drugs. They also make the claim that the chemical imbalance theory is completely false. Made up specifically to sell drugs to patients.

The next section now claims psychiatrists use involuntary commitment to keep institutions full so they can continue to make money. The movie attempts to play on emotions showing stories of children being commited. Descriptions of inhuman restraining on those who objected. Claims also of abuse of patients within hospitals by staff.

Now we get to the ad hom section. Psychiatry is evil because certain doctors are rapists. Claiming they are deliberately fraudulent for the sake of making money. Targeting people with good insurance. That many are child molesters.

Again we are reminded that many diagnosis's are invented. Even the outright claim that there is no such thing as a mental disorder. That psychiatrists make them up as they go on. Supposedly, ADD and ADHD are myths. They also made an effort to show psychiatrists as inconsistent and that they cannot cure anyone. That they exist only for the drug companies.

The next section plays again on emotion by claiming children are the targets of psychiatry's money making machine, diagnosing and drugging kids using supposedly false illnesses as ADD or ADHD. They show footage of a doctor struggling to explain the symptoms ADHD. Even going as far as inserting a clock on screen to further discredit him. Again we get stories of kids on pills becoming zombie like, erratic and even homicidal. Even going as far as blaming psychiatry on Columbine.

Now we enter a conspiracy section, how Psychiatry is infiltrating every aspect of life. So get out you tin foil hat for this section. Here we see a plot for global domination. Every horrific event including 9/11 is said to have psychiatric influence. So it doesn't have anything to do with religious dogma drilled in from cradle to grave, it's mental doctors.

The final section, surprise sup rise shows there is someone out there opposing this evil industry. Here CCHR devotes to self promotion. Though they admit they were founded by the Church of Scientology, they act as though independent. Promoting their exhibit that shares the name of this movie. This section is simply there to try and give hope to those who are unaware this is the first step to cult recruitment.

Watching this movie, I am reminded of the long feud between religion and science. The rivalry of the creationism movement and the scientific theory of evolution. The religious side being particularly bitter. Claiming the rival is evil pure and simple. This film by CCHR and their masters in the Church of Scientology is no different. Here people are taught to fear the rival of Dianetics and Scientology. To remain on the so called Bridge to Total Freedom, despite Dianetics, which Scientology is built on, is as effective as the patent cures peddle by quacks not that long before. This movie uses a lot of horrific images to degrade psychiatry. It also plays on the emotions of the viewer, but when the viewer is aware of the films origins, and the agenda of the the groups behind it, like other propaganda pieces, it loses effectiveness. In short, people play on ignorance to gain power over them, the best weapon is to learn more, learn both sides and not lose sight of objectivity.