Guest Blogger Dr. Ronald Chase on Historical Misuses of Psychiatry

Dr. Ronald Chase is the author of  Schizophrenia: A Brother Finds Answers in Biological Science.   Today, he joins us as a guest blogger to talk about his recent trip to Heidelberg and the atrocities committed by the Nazis under the guise of psychiatry and a reminder for all of the things psychiatry should not be.  Dr. Chase is a biologist who taught neurobiology at McGill and now writes about mental illness.  As per the title of his book, the topic can be very personal.   A Memorial is a Reminder To research a book I am writing about the 19th century origins of modern psychiatry, I recently traveled to Heidelberg, Germany. I wanted to see the clinic where Emil Kraepelin and other influential psychiatrists had worked. I met up with Dr. Maike Rotzoll, a psychiatrist and historian who had been a psychiatric resident at the same clinic. She kindly agreed to show me around. As we approached the stately old clinic building, she suddenly turned from the beckoning entry and led me to a small enclosure just opposite. There, surrounded by a ring of small trees, stood a monument. “I want you to see this,” said Dr. Rotzoll. It is a circular structure made of local sandstone and measuring about 10 feet in diameter. On its topside is an inscription which reads (in translation), “In memory of the victims — for us an admonition. We lament these 21 children, patients of the Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Heidelberg, killed in the name...
Source: Shrink Rap - Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: Source Type: blogs