RECENT media coverage regarding schizophrenia has attempted to link in to smoking.

It was reported in the Lancet Psychiatry Journal that smoking cigarettes might increase people’s risk of psychosis, say researchers who believe tobacco as well as cannabis could play a part in causing schizophrenia.

Note the terms ‘might’ and ‘believe’ in relation to the claim. It is just another example of psychiatrists trying to understand what is going on when the real problem surrounding schizophrenia is the complete absence of objective proof it exists as a physical brain abnormality.

There can be no doubt people do experience problems and upsets in life that may result in mental troubles, sometimes serious, but to say these are caused by incurable brain diseases that can only be alleviated with drugs is dishonest, harmful and often deadly.

In practice, there is evidence physical illness, with real pathology, can seriously affect an individual’s mental state and behaviour.

Yet psychiatry completely ignores this, preferring to assign all blame to illnesses and supposed ‘chemical imbalances’ in the brain.

Brian Daniels, Citizens Commission on Human Rights