Hardiness with Dr Paul Taylor The Deeply Entrenched Flaws of The Mental Health Industry, with professor John Read
Jan 30, 2026
Professor John Read, clinical psychologist and researcher challenging mainstream psychiatry, discusses why many psychiatric labels lack scientific basis. He explores overdiagnosis, pharma influence, harms of antidepressants and ECT, and the neglect of trauma. He calls for trauma-informed care, individual formulations, social supports, and safer tapering approaches.
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DSM Growth Has Medicalized Normal Reactions
- The DSM has expanded from a few 'reactions' to nearly a thousand pages of disorders, pathologizing normal responses.
- John Read highlights that many ordinary behaviours are now medicalized and labeled as disorders.
Antidepressant Use Is Widespread And Rising
- Antidepressant prescribing rates are extremely high, especially among older women and deprived areas.
- John Read warns the numbers are bizarre and growing, reflecting over-medicalization.
Follow The Money Explains Diagnostic Expansion
- Pharmaceutical companies heavily fund psychiatric research and DSM contributors, pushing a biological illness narrative.
- John Read says this financial influence helps expand diagnoses and sell more medications.
