Overview

Dr. Joel Paris's Overdiagnosis in Psychiatry takes a much-needed look at the dangerous epidemic of unnecessary or incorrect treatments. The last 30 years of psychiatry have seen the development of a system of classification aimed at establishing greater scientific credibility. Unfortunately, the current categories are based entirely on signs and symptoms rather than on causes, which remain unknown. This has inevitably made diagnosis imprecise and uncertain. The result is that well-meaning professionals can have problems separating psychopathology from normality, can be unduly influenced by diagnostic fads, and can ultimately wind up prescribing treatments that do more harm than good. Paris examines prominent examples of overused diagnoses including major depressive disorder, ADHD, bipolar-II disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and PTSD.

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9780199350643

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Reviews

Dr. Paris is a psychiatrist who knows his onions and so can make you weep. He weeps at the failure to recognize strengths in people rather than weaknesses, and after reading his book we should all gain from one of its key sentences 'it would probably be better to define mental health, not as happiness, but as resilience in the face of adversity'. - Peter Tyrer, Professor of Community Psychiatry, Centre for Mental Health, Imperial College, London Most discussions of diagnosis focus on problems with missed diagnoses or misdiagnosis. Dr. Paris does the field a great favor by focusing on the problem of overdiagnosis, and showing how it is as great a problem as underdiagnosis. - Mark Zimmerman, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown Medical School, Providence, RI Too much medicine can be bad for your health- over-diagnosis and over-treatment are now serious public health problems. Dr Paris has provided an important pebble in the David vs Goliath battle to contain the medical-industrial complex. - Allen Frances, Professor Emeritus and former Chair Duke University and author of Saving Normal Dr. Joel Paris has written a wonderfully provocative book that will irritate some readers and delight others. With opinions based on his many years working in the trenches, Dr. Paris points out the problems of overdiagnosis, misdiagnose, and diagnostic epidemics that have been fueled in part by overenthusiasm for the DSM. Written in an accessible style, this book is bound to become a classic in the field. - Donald W. Black, MD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA Dr. Joel Paris's book is the one book you must read to understand why psychiatry, in the midst of the most optimistic period in its history, is stumbling badly due to its disregard of the most basic medical distinction of all, the distinction between normality and pathology. - Jerome C. Wakefield, PhD, DSW, Professor of Social Work, and Professor of Psychiatry (Professor of the Conceptual Foundations of Psychiatry), New York University, New York, NY I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in psychiatry and, in particular, concerned about the pathologizing of normality. -- Brett C. Plyler, M.D., Doody's

Dr. Paris is a psychiatrist who knows his onions and so can make you weep. But the cause is not the onions. He weeps at the current fashion to give everyone a psychiatric diagnosis irrespective of its value or validity. He weeps at the failure to recognise strengths in people rather than weaknesses, and after reading his book we should all gain from one of its key sentences 'it would probably be better to define mental health, not as happiness, but as resilience in the face of adversity'. - Peter Tyrer, Professor of Community Psychiatry, Centre for Mental Health, Imperial College, London

Dr. Paris is a psychiatrist who knows his onions and so can make you weep. But the cause is not the onions. He weeps at the current fashion to give everyone a psychiatric diagnosis irrespective of its value or validity. He weeps at the failure to recognise strengths in people rather than weaknesses, and after reading his book we should all gain from one of its key sentences 'it would probably be better to define mental health, not as happiness, but as resilience in the face of adversity'. - Peter Tyrer, Professor of Community Psychiatry, Centre for Mental Health, Imperial College, London

Author Information

Joel Paris was born in New York City, but has spent most of his life in Canada. Dr. Paris' research interest is in borderline personality disorder. Dr. Paris has 193 peer-reviewed articles, and is the author of 17 books and 40 book chapters. Dr. Paris is an educator who has has won awards for his teaching.

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