There is so much to say on all of these stories. There is plenty of evidence that the radical Left is becoming increasingly anti-Semitic. Actually, in Europe they’ve been anti-Semitic for a while.
I’m not surprised that government struggles to be transparent even when they are trying to figure out ways to become more transparent. National security/intelligence might be the only area where a lack of transparency is justifiable.
And while I agree that over-diagnosis might be a part of the rise in mental health disorders, there are probably other factors that are contributing increasingly in the last 10-20 years. Some of it could be lifestyle changes, such as more people being in front of a computer, being less active, etc. Just guessing.
Over-diagnosis May Be Responsible for Rise in Mental Disorders
I have always suspected that the mental health industry does not believe there is a single individual who would not benefit from therapy of some kind. Thus, they feel the tendency to over-diagnose is probably justified. In addition, patients who burn the candle at both ends probably contribute to mental patient load of therapists.
@Devon
Agreed. The number of mental health disorders is constantly on the rise (perhaps in part as a result of disease-mongering by pharmaceutical companies), and diagnosis because increasingly complex.
@Brian
Although this is a blog about health policy, since the antisemitism topic was raised (and I am Jewish), I figured I would respond. I don’t see the radical left as being antisemitic at all. They may be more anti-zionist and may more strongly support the idea of a 2-state solution, but antisemitism is something else entirely. As a Jew, it offends me when somebody plays the “antisemitism” card in response to political disagreement regarding how certain situations in the middle east should be resolved.
I also have a problem with painting a large movement with a broad brush of “racist” or “antisemitic”, especially when these characterizations come from provocateurs with a political agenda whose purpose is to goad people into saying ridiculous things. I’ve seen this happen both to the tea partiers (trying to paint them as paranoid, racist, modern-day John Birchers) and OWS people (trying to paint them as smelly communist hippies who hate America and Israel). Both movements are mostly made up of relatively rational people with legitimate gripes, along with their fair share of crazies who receive disproportionate media attention.
There is so much to say on all of these stories. There is plenty of evidence that the radical Left is becoming increasingly anti-Semitic. Actually, in Europe they’ve been anti-Semitic for a while.
I’m not surprised that government struggles to be transparent even when they are trying to figure out ways to become more transparent. National security/intelligence might be the only area where a lack of transparency is justifiable.
And while I agree that over-diagnosis might be a part of the rise in mental health disorders, there are probably other factors that are contributing increasingly in the last 10-20 years. Some of it could be lifestyle changes, such as more people being in front of a computer, being less active, etc. Just guessing.
I have always suspected that the mental health industry does not believe there is a single individual who would not benefit from therapy of some kind. Thus, they feel the tendency to over-diagnose is probably justified. In addition, patients who burn the candle at both ends probably contribute to mental patient load of therapists.
@Devon
Agreed. The number of mental health disorders is constantly on the rise (perhaps in part as a result of disease-mongering by pharmaceutical companies), and diagnosis because increasingly complex.
@Brian
Although this is a blog about health policy, since the antisemitism topic was raised (and I am Jewish), I figured I would respond. I don’t see the radical left as being antisemitic at all. They may be more anti-zionist and may more strongly support the idea of a 2-state solution, but antisemitism is something else entirely. As a Jew, it offends me when somebody plays the “antisemitism” card in response to political disagreement regarding how certain situations in the middle east should be resolved.
I also have a problem with painting a large movement with a broad brush of “racist” or “antisemitic”, especially when these characterizations come from provocateurs with a political agenda whose purpose is to goad people into saying ridiculous things. I’ve seen this happen both to the tea partiers (trying to paint them as paranoid, racist, modern-day John Birchers) and OWS people (trying to paint them as smelly communist hippies who hate America and Israel). Both movements are mostly made up of relatively rational people with legitimate gripes, along with their fair share of crazies who receive disproportionate media attention.