Some students at the University of Ottawa are denouncing an on-campus display that calls psychiatry an “industry of death,” saying it further stigmatizes people who need medication to treat mental health conditions.
Source: U of O students denounce anti-psychiatry exhibit | CBC News
Opinion:
This is an interesting piece because it highlights some of the tensions between the ideals of freedom of speech vs. individual rights.
On the one hand, we have a group that firmly believes psychiatry’s link to Big Pharma is bogus. And on the other hand, we have individuals with mental health concerns who don’t want to feel stigmatized for simply seeking help.
Ironically, I wrote a graduate studies paper on this very topic back in the 90s. The professor who read the paper gave me an A in his course but suddenly withdrew his support after initially agreeing to write a letter of recommendation for postdoc scholarships.
To add insult to injury, the professor changed his mind without even opening the sealed envelope containing my postdoc proposal.
Hardly an informed decision. Or perhaps it was informed, but certainly not by the spirit of innovation which universities often say they encourage.
Sometimes being ahead of your time is rewarding but other times it’s challenging, especially when you come up against an incompetent, backward professor whose word isn’t worth a nickel.
Today is Bell Let’s Talk Day
Bell will donate more towards mental health initiatives in Canada by contributing 5¢ for every applicable text, call, tweet and retweet, social media video view and use of our Facebook frame or Snapchat filter. Let’s work together to create positive change.*
And that’s my “Let’s Talk” story.
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* https://letstalk.bell.ca/en/
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