Movement to Classify 'Liberalism' as Mental Disorder Gains Steam

May 31, 2005
Movement to Classify 'Liberalism' as Mental Disorder Gains Steam
Think that some of President Bush's judicial nominees are 'out of the
mainstream'? Worried that John Bolton may not have the temperament to
represent the U.S. at the U.N.? If some Republicans get their way,
there may
soon be an official diagnosis of what really ails you: political
paranoia
disorder.

American Psychiatric Association approves the inclusion of "Political
Paranoia" in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

By Hermione Slatkin, medical correspondent

NEW YORK, NY-When Zacharia Goodman recently sought out the help of a
therapist, it was no mystery as to what was ailing him. The 27-year-old
copy
editor was so consumed by his belief that President George W. Bush
stole the
2004 election that he was having trouble sleeping, completing
rudimentary
tasks at work, and carrying on conversations about topics not related
to
politics.

The therapist he consulted wrote Goodman a prescription for the social
anxiety drug Paxil and encouraged him to spend less time reading
left-wing
Web logs and listening to Air America.

This particular story has a happy ending; Goodman admits that he's
already
far less irritating to be around than he was just a few weeks ago. But
countless paranoids just like him may be going untreated, say mental
health
professionals. The reason: the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental
Disorders or DSM presently excludes political paranoia from its 933
pages of
symptoms, diagnoses and treatment recommendations.

Download the Political Paranoia Inventory (PPI) Self Test

Democrat or just demented?
Now a group of Republican lawmakers is hoping that they can do
something
about the problem. Early this summer, Senator Bill Frist, the first
practicing physician elected to the Senate since 1928, plans to file a
bill
that would define "political paranoia" as a mental disorder, paving the
way
for individuals who suffer from paranoid delusions regarding voter
fraud,
political persecution and FBI surveillance to receive Medicare
reimbursement
for any psychiatric treatment they receive.

Rick Smith, a spokesman for Senator Frist, says that the measure has a
good
chance of passing-something that can only help a portion of the
population
that is suffering significant distress.
"If you're still convinced that President Bush won the election because
Republicans figured out a way to hack into electronic voting machines,
you've obviously got a problem," says Smith. "If we can figure out a
way to
ease your suffering by getting you into therapy and onto medication,
that's
something that we hope the entire 109th Congress will support."

A vocal supporter
GOP Congressmen aren't the only ones committed to helping Zacharia
Goodman
and the tens of millions of Americans who are believed to have
contracted
political paranoia disorder. Popular conservative radio host Michael
Savage
has also joined the call to help those suffering from this devastating
illness. In his new book, "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder," Mr. Savage
shares his observations of the affliction he likens to a national
cancer.

While the talk show host has yet to endorse Senator Frist's bill-Mr.
Savage
would like to see Medicare and other socialist-type programs repealed
as
they are not explicitly mention in the United States Constitution-he is
expected to join with the GOP Senate leader this summer in a series of
town
hall meetings entitled "Helping Your Liberal Neighbor: America
Confronts a
Mental Disorder."

A meeting of the minds
Of course, while Congress can pass laws defining mental disorders, the
ultimate decision regarding the inclusion of political paranoia
disorder in
the next version of the DSM isn't up to legislators-or activist
judges-but
to psychiatrists. The entire assembly of the American Psychiatric
Association (APA) cleared the way for that move at their recent
national
assembly in May.

This won't be the first time that the APA has bowed to political
pressure to
add or delete common mental disorders. In 1973, the APA removed
homosexuality from the massive psychiatric desk reference. The 1987
publication of DSM-III-R deleted ego-dystonic homosexuality as well.

http://swiftreport.blogs.com/news/2005/05/movement_to_cla.html

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