Scientologists blame psychiatry for 9/11

We’ll have to add Scientology to Pal’s list of disease-promoting groups. Via Screw Loose Change I learn that as part of their bizarre hatred of psychiatry, they’ve now taken to saying that 9/11 was caused by psychiatrists in addition to the holocaust. Apparently, Osama was just a regular guy until al-Zawahiri, a psychiatrist, got to him. Strange considering al Zawahiri was not a psychiatrist at all.


Scientologists Try to Explain how Psychiatrists caused 9/11 and the Holocaust from Chris Doyle on Vimeo.

Anyway, watch the crazy!

I’ll have a post up on my experience on my psych clerkship soon.

Cult of Scientology update

There are a few news items worth mentioning.

The daughter of a Norwegian politician
killed herself after taking a “personality test” at a Scientology cult office near her dormitory. Given the cult’s history, I can see why folks would like to draw a causal connection here, but there aren’t many details in the news reports. I hardly seems likely that one encounter with the cult would be enough to drive someone to suicide—it is more likely that she was already depressed, and was unlucky enough to seek help in the wrong place.

A not-so-well-known TV actor who used to be a cult member is speaking out against the “church” in a new video. He isn’t the most articulate spokesperson for sanity, but the video is pretty damning. It contains a lot of Scientology jargon, and comes off as the testimony of someone who has recently escaped, is pissed off, and wants everyone to know. There’s more from (erp!) Fox.

The taxpayers of Boston were nearly duped into paying for a Scientology cult school. The school’s grant application specifically states that the curriculum will be based on the methods of Applied Scholastics, an arm of the cult that claims:

Based on L. Ron Hubbard’s extensive technology, Applied Scholastics™ programs enable individuals to handle the literacy and education of the children and people in their communities.

Aside from Establishment Clause problems, this is NUTS! It takes 15 seconds on google to find the Scientology connection here. The folks on the school board (or whomever is responsible) either didn’t know, or worse, did know.

Then, of course, there is the whole “Anonymous” thing—I bet that pisses them off.

Scientology is one scary cult, and they hate it when you call them out. In fact, they enjoy trying to intimidate those who speak out. All the more reason to do it, folks.

A challenge for Scientologists

Based on earlier posts, it’s pretty clear that I feel that Scientology is a dangerous and bizarre cult. The responses to the post included some apologetics for the CoS and their stance on psychiatry.

As is typical in these situations, the commenters simply refused to answer any substantive questions and fell back on such arguments as “prove that Scientology believes X”, when of course all we have to work with are leaked documents, as the “church” is quite secretive.

So here is my challenge:

Scientologists—please debunk my false beliefs about your religion. Since you abhor psychiatry, please explain the theories behind your treatment of mental illness.

I’ll wait….

Out, pesky engram!

I think I made clear that Scientology is a wacked-out cult. The primary concern from my perspective as a doctor is their denialist position on psychiatric illness.

Given the toll mental illness takes on society, and the amount of influence exerted by Scientology, everyone should be shouting from the rooftops (in a perfectly calm and sane way), “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not gonna take it anymore!”

The Church of Scientology has a little friend called the “Citizens Commission on Human Rights“. It’s motto is “investigating and exposing psychiatric human rights abuse”. Who is this “commission” and what is their beef?

A good place to start is on their info page. Hardly a paragraph goes by without a falsehood or logical fallacy.

Continue reading “Out, pesky engram!”

Just another cult

My pager went off at about 7 p.m. I had already finished rounding at the hospital, gone home, showered off the day, and sat down with a cup of tea. It was my senior resident. We had admitted a psychotic young woman to the hospital, and her parents were trying to sign her out against medical advice.

The young woman had been acting more and more strangely over the past several months. Continue reading “Just another cult”