THE PSYCHIATRIC JOURNAL
TM
PJ - the psychiatric weblog of John T. Tennison, M.D.
“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed. Third,
it is accepted as being self-evident.??Arthur Schopenhauer
The Psychiatric Journal focuses on all topics related to quality of life, including mental health.
Avoiding Misdiagnosis of DSM Disorders -- by John Tennison, MD, February 12, 2015
The Only Viable Way to Operationalize "Serious Difficulty In Controlling Behavior" (SDCB) -- by John Tennison, MD, July 7, 2014
The Meaning of “Likely?According to David Self, M.D. (A Letter to the Editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law from John T. Tennison, MD) -- by John Tennison, MD, July 4, 2014
Did Doodie Do It? -- by John Tennison, MD, Copyright 2013-2014
Valuable Sources Describing Peer-Reviewed and Accepted Methodology for Evaluations Under “Sexually Violent Predator?Statutes -- by John Tennison, MD, July 7, 2012
The "Predatory" Qualifier in Evaluations Under "Sexually Violent Predator" Laws -- by John Tennison, MD, June 26, 2012
IN RE COMMITMENT OF JOHN BERNARD -- an Opinion Delivered on June 14, 2012 by The Court of Appeals, Ninth District of Texas at Beaumont
IN RE COMMITMENT OF LESTER WINKLE -- an Opinion Delivered on March 8, 2012 by The Court of Appeals, Ninth District of Texas at Beaumont
(Note: Since the above article was written, the Court of Appeals, 9th District of Texas, overturned a 4th ruling from the 435th Court on March 8, 2012, due to erroneous exclusion of expert testimony by the 435th Court. See article above by Nancy Flake and the opinion, IN RE COMMITMENT OF LESTER WINKLE.)
CRITICAL ACCLAIM for “GAP and the Future of Psychiatry? ”I have just read your paper on GAP and I must tell you that in the same way that you say ‘GAP fulfills my dream of what psychiatry should be,?your paper fulfills my dream of how a resident and a newly minted psychiatrist should perform. Thank you so much for the comprehensive and beautifully written paper which clearly depicts many of the reasons we hang on to GAP and remain committed to it. After reading it I felt the need to write to you to tell you how appreciative I am.?-- Paul Jay Fink, MD
Newspeak: Manipulation of Language, Thought, and Behavior by Those in Power -- April 4, 2004
Why NOT Commit Suicide? - "Absurdolytic" Medications and the Wisdom of Albert Camus -- March, 2004
A Chief Resident's Election Speech -- More Principles supportive of residents' rights and quality of life -- delivered December 18, 2001
Good Grief: Hope and Despair in Effective Psychotherapy -- By David S. Fuller, M.D., UTHSCSA
U.S. Schools that Offer a Masters in Psychology Degree - Compiled by Michelle Parson
Recommended Articles and Books From Other Sources
"The DSM's categorical nomenclature is stigmatizing and harmful to patients. A better approach would be a nomenclature system that explicitly incorporates the continuous and quantifiable nature of all the signs and symptoms that form the basis for the categories (the so-called "disorders") of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)." -- John Tennison, M.D.
The Perspectives of Psychiatry, 2nd Edition -- by Paul R. McHugh, MD (Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine) and Phillip R. Slavney, MD. "'The Perspectives of Psychiatry' is among the most important books ever written about psychiatry." -- John Tennison, MD, 1998
The Cult of Personality: How Personality Tests Are Leading Us to Miseducate Our Children, Mismanage Our Companies, and Misunderstand Ourselves by Annie Murphy Paul "This book shows how psychological testing, like the DSM, over-simplifies the complexity of human beings, and causes people to make assumptions and expedient decisions that sometimes do more damage than good." --John Tennison, M.D.
Rethinking the DSM: A Psychological Perspective -- edited by Larry E. Beutler & Mary L. Malik (This is a book that considers possible alternatives to the way the DSM classifies mental illness. The book jacket notes that this book "reflects the dissatisfaction of a growing number of mental health care professionals who question the lack of strong empirical foundations in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and who are confounded by its patchwork of vaguely defined disorders, each defined by seemingly arbitrary time limits or poorly related symptoms. Expressing concern about whether the DSM truly provides a method for differentiating normal from pathological, clinicians and therapists alike wonder if the DSM should remain the diagnostic tool of choice")
Link to www.texaspsychiatry.com