By Selwyn Duke
It seems as if taking offense is the recreation of
choice in modern America. The latest
example (of which I’m aware; I’m sure our UPS {umbrage per second} statistic is
sky high) has resulted in a planned protest at WOR Radio in Manhattan over some
comments radio talk show host Michael Savage made concerning autism. Or, to be precise, the commentary involved
not that condition but behavior that might be misdiagnosed as autism. Here is what Savage said, as reported
by wcbstv.com:
During the July 16 edition of his show,
Savage claimed that autism is “[a] fraud, a racket. … I’ll tell you what autism
is. In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act
out. That’s what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they’re silent?
They don’t have a father around to tell them, ‘Don’t act like a moron. You’ll
get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man.
Don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot.’”
One person who took exception to
this commentary was Martin Schwartzman, the father of an autistic child. He opined:
“I couldn’t understand why someone
could be so heartless and so insensitive, and also so ignorant for a
national talk show host . . . . It was
so hurtful to all individuals with disabilities, particularly those with
autism, but I really think he should be removed from the air.”
For all I know, Mr. Schwartzman may
be a very decent man, but evident is that he has never listened to Savage’s
show. If he had, there are a few things
he would probably understand.
First, Michael Savage grew up with
a brother who suffered from severe retardation, one whom he loved very much and
has spoken of on numerous occasions with the deepest affection and
emotion. Listening to Savage, it’s
apparent that this experience instilled in him a respect for human life that
doesn’t end where mental impairment begins. It is why he was livid when Howard Stern mocked people so afflicted some
years back; it is why he has taken up the cudgels against euthanasia on their
behalf.
It is also why – and I’m inferring
here – Savage is no doubt more offended than most when an irresponsible
psychiatric community diagnoses normal but ill-behaved children as mentally
impaired. It bothers me as well for a
number of reasons, and I’ll explain.
Some today have a nasty habit of
labeling ambiguous sexual encounters (e.g., a woman who, after a consensual
sexual experience, gets jilted and then claims she was an unwilling participant)
as rape. Many people genuinely concerned
about real rape are outraged by this, as such a practice diminishes the
crime. After all, if you bastardize the term,
lumping in the category that which is less serious or even innocent, people
will take it less seriously. This hurts
actual rape victims, as they then may not receive the consideration, care and
redress they deserve.
It’s no different when those who are
merely ill-behaved are misdiagnosed as mentally impaired. By labeling these less serious or even
non-existent problems as mental conditions, it causes society to take authentic
ones less seriously. And when Savage
bemoans this fact, he speaks for millions who have had to care for legitimately
mentally-ill/impaired individuals. I
myself know such a caregiver, and she has lamented the fast-and-loose
psychiatric diagnoses so common today. She has seen firsthand how they take attention, consideration and
resources away from people such as her truly mentally-ill family member.
So, getting back to Mr.
Schwartzman, maybe I can assuage his feelings. Michael Savage is not saying autism doesn’t exist; he is simply pointing
out that the condition is over-diagnosed. Thus, Mr. Schwartzman, if your son is legitimately autistic, Savage
isn’t talking about you. He is not
diminishing your son’s travails but railing against those who are.
This is the spirit and meaning of
what Savage said. Sure, it’s very easy
to cherry-pick extemporaneous radio commentary for the purposes of twisting a
host’s meaning. Talk radio is a
real-time, fast-paced medium where one speaks off the cuff and often uses
hyperbole to drive home concepts. Does
Savage believe that the autism-misdiagnosis rate is actually 99 percent? I don’t know – maybe he does, maybe he
doesn’t. If he does, maybe he’s right,
maybe he isn’t. If literalism matters to
you, I suggest you ask him. But do you
really believe the condition is never
misdiagnosed? Do you really know what
the misdiagnose rate is? Well, we’re not
going to find out by silencing those who dare say the therapist has no clothes.
Regardless, trigger-happy
diagnosticians are legion in psychiatry. The most egregious example of their handiwork is ADHD, a mythical
condition that has become a handy excuse for bad behavior. I addressed it in this piece, in which I point out
that head shrinkers are now prescribing Ritalin for children as young as two years old. I also quote a rare, common-sense
psychologist named John Rosemond, who said (I’m paraphrasing):
“All children ‘have ADD’ up till
age two, but if they’re socialized properly, it’s bred out of them.”
I won’t elaborate further here, but
if you’re interested in my full analysis, read the piece I cited.
Something else in my article is
also relevant. Many may scoff at
Savage’s assertion that a child diagnosed with autism might just be “. . . a
brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out.” C’mon, could it really be an act? Well, consider an anecdote I presented:
. . . I think of a very charming friend I
had many years ago. The son of a
psychologist, he was diagnosed with a learning disability in the 1970s, before
such designations were fashionable, and attended a special school for children
so afflicted. Here is what he told me
about himself and his fellow students (it’s close to verbatim): ‘We thought it
[the ‘conditions’] was all nonsense; it was just a way to get out of doing
work.’
So such children do exist, and
they’re aided and abetted by “mental-health professionals” who are content to
be fooled – and to be foolish. Psychology
is the only field wherein the practitioners invent, or exaggerate the
prevalence of, diseases and conditions so they’ll have ready diagnoses. It isn’t just autism and ADHD. Consider what I wrote
in “The Hard Truth about a Soft Science: Why Psychology Does More Harm than
Good”:
. . . I recently read about psychiatrists
who are labeling the desire to engage in excessive text messaging a mental
disorder. Then there is “Muscle Dysmorphia,” or the obsessive belief that one
isn’t muscular enough; “celebriphilia,” the strong desire for amorous relations
with a celebrity; “Intermittent Explosive Disorder,” or road rage; “Sibling
Rivalry Disorder”; “Mathematics Disorder”; “Caffeine Related Disorder”; and
“Expressive Writing disorder” . . . a defiant child or employee isn’t ruled by
pride but has “Oppositional Disorder,” a person with a lack of gratitude isn’t
just that but one who suffers from “Chronic Complaint Disorder” . . . .
Now, in light of the above, don’t
you think that maybe, just perhaps, misdiagnosis and over-diagnosis might be a
problem? Isn’t suspicion of psychiatric
determinations warranted?
Then there is the reason why the
psychiatric profession suffers from what I’ll call “Chronic Disorder Invention
Disorder”: Money. Every time it labels
what was formerly called a sin as a disease or condition of the brain, its
market grows. “Hey, I just thought of a
new category.”
Ka-ching.
ADHD?
Ka-ching.
Over-diagnosing autism?
Ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching.
“Can you diagnosis me,
doctor?” “Why, yes, patient, you’re
$30,000 sick.”
So, you folks who care for the
truly mentally impaired should be upset, but not at Michael Savage. He has been there; he has carried that
cross. Direct you ire at those afflicted
with a “disorder” lamented since time immemorial.
It’s
called greed.
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