Explorer #21: Overdiagnosis of Mental Illness with Dr. Allen Frances

Dr. Allen Frances is a Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine. He is best known for serving as chair of the American Psychiatric Association task force overseeing the development and revision of the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Dr. Frances is the founding editor of two well-known psychiatric journals: the Journal of Personality Disorders and the Journal of Psychiatric Practice. During the development of the current diagnostic manual, DSM-5, Dr. Frances became critical of the expanding boundaries of psychiatry and the medicalization of normal human behavior, problems he contends are leading to the overdiagnosis and overtreatment of the "worried well" and the gross undertreatment of the severely ill. Dr. Frances is the author or co-author of multiple books within the fields of psychiatry and psychology.

Dr. FRANCES's BOOKs:

Saving Normal: https://amzn.to/497dxxq

Essentials of Psychiatric Diagnosis: https://amzn.to/494eRBe

FOLLOW Dr. FRANCES ON TWITTER:   / allenfrancesmd  

SUPPORT THE ACCENT ON PATREON:   / theaccentpodcast  

TIMESTAMPS 

01:25 Changes since Saving Normal 

02:30 What is DSM? 

06:20 Inflation of diagnosis in children’s mental illnesses 

14:10 Pharma advertises mental illnesses directly to people 

17:00 Nature or Nurture – the root cause of mental illnesses 

21:35 Psychotherapy 

25:35 Depressions should not be confused with normal mammalian phenomena 

29:35 Addiction to medication and drugs 

37:45 Selecting psychiatrist