ABSTRACT
Duncan Double A recent statement from the American Psychiatric Association (APA, 2003) on the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders maintained that schizophrenia and other mental disorders are serious neurobiological disorders. This unequivocal stance was made in response to a hunger strike by six survivors of the psychiatric system (Mind Freedom, 2004). The challenge of the hunger strikers was that the APA should provide evidence to show that major mental illnesses are ‘proven biological diseases of the brain’ and that emotional distress results from ‘chemical imbalances’ in the brain.
