Successful Non-Neuroleptic Treatments for Schizophrenia.pdf

Successful Non-Neuroleptic

Treatments for

“Schizophrenia”

The Tragedy of Schizophrenia without Psychotherapy

Bertram P. Karon, PhD, Journal of The American Academy of

Psychoanalysis und Dynamic Psychiatry , 31(1), 89- 118, 2003.

Psychologist and psychotherapist Dr. Bert Karon challenges the

prevailing notion that psychosis remains a largely incurable brain

disease, best treated by neuroleptic drugs. Mindful of the fact that “there

has never been a lack of treatments which do more harm” than good,

Karon explicitly contends that humane psychotherapy remains the

treatment of choice for schizophrenia.

History provides important lessons.

PsychRights http://psychrights.org/index.htm Dr. Grace E. Jackson Affidavit.

The Moral Treatment Movement

The moral treatment movement in the 18th century emphasized four

essential elements in the care of the mentally ill:

 respect for the patient (no humiliation or cruelty)

 the encouragement of work and social relations

 the collection of accurate life histories (formulation)

 the attempt to understand each person as an individual

PsychRights http://psychrights.org/index.htm Dr. Grace E. Jackson Affidavit.

The Moral Treatment Movement Cont.

When these imperatives were applied to the asylums of America and

Europe the rates of discharged reached 60 to 80%. This was far better

than the 30% recovery rate which occurred about a century later in the

era of pharmacotherapy.

The Moral Treatment Movement was replaced by biological psychiatry

in the late 1800s. For reasons that were largely political and economic,

the consensus in American psychiatry came to denigrate the use of

Moral Treatment offshoots particularly in the treatment of psychosis.

PsychRights http://psychrights.org/index.htm Dr. Grace E. Jackson Affidavit.

A Rich but Suppressed History

Academic leaders in psychiatry have been of the opinion that there is

insufficient evidence to support the use of psychotherapy as a major

independent intervention for psychosis. This is contradicted by a rich

but suppressed history in the published literature and by the success of

many ongoing programs some of which are summarized next.

PsychRights http://psychrights.org/index.htm Dr. Grace E. Jackson Affidavit.