Who in here truly considers Psychiatry to be a real science in it's own right?

Question

Think about it: The human mind and human brain is perhaps the most mysterious and misunderstood part of the body. When something is wrong with it, there can never be any truly accurate way to pinpoint exactly whats going on. Psychiatry is using chemicals to temporarily counteract a theoretical cause of some random ailment that is diagnosed by observing the external effects of the illness or disorder, assuming of course that it actually exists, or is happening in that particular experiment's (or patient's) mind.
These chemicals must fit the approval parameters of the pharmaceutical industry, or else they cannot be prescribed. Yet the meds that are administered often times have side effects identical to the symptoms they are supposed to be treating. Who's to say that whatever temporary progress that is being made is not simply the brain and body ignoring the initial flaw to combat a more dangerous and dire affliction which is the effects of these new meds in the system? Most of the meds

in psychiatry are literally just the street drugs we have banned or their chemical components with certain amounts of neutral agents that allow it to be passed off as legal or humane treatments. When a psychiatrist prescribes something, he is essentially just being an effective salesman for the pharmaceutical industry. AND to top it all off, the psychiatrist has the authority to decide whether or not the newest experiment/customer is mentally competent enough to decide if he wants or needs to buy! Experimental drug use administered to treat ailments that are based in area of the human body and enigma that is almost completely a mystery to us, and consequently incapable of being truly proven or disproven to a bunch of consumers that can be subjected to personal whims of a 'professional' opinion, hence eliminating that pesky consumers right to buy or refuse to buy. They are marketing agents in a profitable business catering to a field that is at it's best questionable and in experimental

stages! How can you justify referring to that as a science? with all those flimsy variables, it is merely a subject of fantastic debate, and a matter of convenience for an incomprehensive and wary society and a lucrative business! What say you, for or against my own arguments how do you see it, and if you agree, why? If not why and how do justify it, and what can you present that can reasonably counter what I said? I'm genuinely interested in this... I'd love to know.

Answer 1

Of course psychiatry is a science. The science of the human brain. It is ever changing as more is learned about how the brain works being very complex and as varied as the human race is.
As the science develops and theories are proved, our knowledge of the inner workings of the brain increases one small step at a time. True, pharmaceutical companies are in business to make money and just supplying peoples demands for a quick fix for their physical needs. Many of the drugs prescribed treat the symptoms and not the cause of a particular ailment as well as adding side effects that are not desired, but for those suffering from that ailment it is a choice that offers some kind of relief and hope where there was none before.
Just as mankinds knowledge of our earthly surroundings is limited to the directions physical science has been able and willing to investigate, there are many undesirable side effects like toxic waste, global warming, acid rain, and smog. Still, businesses focus on profit from supplying consumers demands (peoples desires) with little concern for the long terms results.
I believe pshychiatry is a true science and compareable to oceanography because there is so much yet to be learned, observed, discovered, documented, theorized, and proved.
Knowledge is power! If you don't like whatever it is that makes you question the science of psychiatry, or a particular drug used in the psychiatric field then learn how to change it. Whether that be finding a different "shrink," drug, or a way to improve the social demands and focus of businesses to profit from them. Heck, politics, economics, chemistry, biology, physics, mathmatics, geology, even the arts and ecology, and many more sciences are connected and used in the developement of our "brains" both collectively and individually.
Change is inevitable. Hopefully for the better. Your question validates a desire for knowledge and improvement of the current socially accepted status. That's a great thing! Keep asking questions and draw attention to important issues. It is all science - past, present, and future.

Answer 2

Are you a scientologist? I agree with part of what you said. It's not an exact science, and the brain is still mysterious to most physicians. Having said that, meds do help some people who have chemical imbalances in their brain, or hormone imbalance, etc. I also agree the pharmaceutical industry is out to make money without fully testing their drugs before putting them on the market. I was taking one for osteoarthritis, which gave me high blood pressure, so then I had another prescription for that. The best thing to do is to educate yourself before you take anything. If it's new, don't take it.

Answer 3

Of course. Wilhelm Wundt from Germany was the person who established Psychiatry as a division of science way back in the late 1800's. Nevermind, that was psychology.

Answer 4

You are so full of it I can smell you from here.