TAC Gets Whacked

Much credit to Depression Introspection for jumping on the fine folks at the Treatment Advocacy Center over recent distorted claims they'd made about violence among the mentally ill--schizophrenics are 10 times more likely to commit violence than the general population. John Grohol at Psych Central took it one step further in one of the most blistering posts I've read on a mental health issue in ages. It's epic. CL Psych has fun with it as well. Bipolar Blast is on it, too.

I knew TAC's claim was bogus when I saw it and, in fact, I went after them for misreading the CATIE violence study when it appeared last year. This time out, I held off because I was tired of being the lone voice banging on TAC and TAC's refusal to correct errors in their claims as well as in their database of "preventable tragedies." I am glad others have joined me in calling them to account. I wish the mainstream media would do its job on this front as well instead of being dazzled by Fuller Torrey's alleged celebrity and the alleged horse sense of TAC's claims (which Torrey likes to case as politically incorrect just to inoculate himself from challenges and look brave). Hey, Anderson Cooper, are you listening?

While I am open to TAC's wishes to address outpatient commitment statutes in the US--where needed--I am wholly against their desire to see state mental hospitals re-opened. We tried the Bedlam approach in this country for almost two centuries and we know how that worked out.

Last year, I had a long chat with two leading psychiatrists, one of whom told me flat out that "Fuller Torrey is evil." Wish I could name this doc.

I am going to list some of the many posts I did on TAC's obsessions and delusions--and yes I am using the terms clinically--with the mentally ill. TAC has a long track record of twisting studies to support its political agenda. I am not doing this to brag, but merely to collect them in one place in one relevant post. Many of the posts are in response to last year's shooting of two police officers by a young man with schizophrenia as well as TAC's mangling of the CATIE violence study.

"Fuller Torrey Is Dangerous"

"Peter Earley Now Has A Problem" In which the well-meaning Earley was duped by TAC's statistics.

"What The Washington Post Got Right And Wrong" In which TAC's claims make it into a WashPo editorial.

"More Thoughts On The DC Tragedy And Mental Illness In America"

"While We're Talking About Honesty"

"A TAC-y Move" In which I call out TAC for refusing to answer sensible questions and get into the dark claims of one of its board members.

"Opportunism Is TAC-y"

"Another Day, Another Post Article"

"Yet Another Day, Yet Another Post Article"

"TAC On Crack" TAC assails anyone who fights to get the mentally ill out of state hospitals.

"What TAC Won't Correct, I Will" In which I issue a correction of TAC's claims.

"Fuller Torrey In Seattle" In which the great one makes a weird appearance in my hometown.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at May 3, 2007 11:15 AM
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