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What Is the Measure of Success in Treating Mental Illness?
By Rob Carr
In the "Health Notes" section of the May 10 issue of The Voice there was mention of an upcoming presentation, "When Someone You Care About Has a Mental Illness." In the notice there was a statement that: "Depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia are treatable medical illnesses with success rates similar to or greater than treatment for other illnesses."
Dr. Rex Cowdry, then director of the National Institute of Mental Health, testified before the House of Representatives in 1995 that: "Over five decades, research supported and conducted by NIMH has defined the core symptoms of the severe mental illness." However, he also stated: "We do not know the causes. We don't have the methods of curing these illnesses yet."
Consequently, I'm curious what evidence there is to back the claim made by those giving the presentation.
I should confess my own prejudice in the matter: I assume that drugging or electro-shocking someone into zombiedom does not constitute a measure of "success."
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