Has The APA Finally Lost Its Marbles?

After rejecting many previous proposals for parent alienation, parent alienation disorder is being considered. Considering the lack of scientific support and empirical research supporting a major clash with the proposal, the APA may be about to lose all credibility for its profession.

In fact, the APA has been so supportive of sex offenders that they have offered direct communication so that they can make an exclusive contribution to the next diagnostic and statistical manual. On a message board for pedophiles, was the following message:

Request for DSM committee to meet with MAA’s

Posted by michaelmelsheimer on 2010-03-1 11:02:21, Monday

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This is a project that B4U-ACT has been working on for the last couple of months. It is asking for a face to face meeting with certain members of the APA. Members of the larger community are BCC’d. Close to 2000 emails will go out eveyday `for about 6 weeks. B4U-ACT has had more people working on this project than any other in the past. The have done a great job. So, please wish them luck. They all need big hugs. It is a damn shame we can’t mention all of their names. To: Dr. Ray Blanchard, chair, Subworkgroup on Paraphilias for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V (DSM V), American Psychiatrtic Association Dear Dr. Blanchard: We wish to follow up on our previous correspondence. The APA’s subworkgroup on the paraphilias, which you chair, is discussing significant changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) regarding pedophilia. As you know, we represent an organization that advocates for dialog between mental health professionals and people who are emotionally and sexually attracted to children or adolescents. We requested a meeting with your subworkgroup, based on the APA’s policy that work groups include representation from “patient and family groups,” that the revision process seeks “input from stakeholders,” and that DSM should be “sensitive to the needs of clinicians and their patients.” While you responded by offering to correspond with us by e-mail or telephone, we explained why we believe that is inadequate and requested a face-to-face meeting with at least one member of your subworkgroup. We did this in early January and have not received your reply. Again, our rationale is that the DSM and mental health and criminal justice policies based on them have an enormous impact on all of society and on people who are attracted to children, including teenagers. They must be based on complete and accurate information. Yet the DSM is currently being revised in the absence of information from people in the general population who are attracted to children or adolescents. Instead, revisions are based on limited data from unrepresentative correctional populations who cannot be honest with researchers. It is well-known among social scientists that such data are highly biased and misleading. The lack of accurate information feeds irrational fears surrounding people who are attracted to children or adolescents. These fears are extraordinarily intense and lead to severe stigma and adversarial policies which force minor-attracted people into hiding, making the gathering of accurate information even more difficult. Perpetuating this vicious cycle neither protects children nor leads to effective policies. It renders the APA powerless to gather and disseminate accurate information. We are proposing a solution to this otherwise intractable problem. We have organized a small group of minor-attracted people who are willing to meet with APA professionals. Face-to-face dialog with those of us not under the supervison of the criminal justice system is essential for gathering accurate information. We are also informing the public of our proposal by copying this email to researchers, mental health agencies, child protection organizations, political leaders, media outlets, and others. We look forward to your reply. Sincerely, Michael Melsheimer, Director of Operations, michaelmelsheimer@b4uact.org Richard Kramer, Program Planner, rkramer@b4uact.org Paul Christiano, Communications Director, pchristiano@b4uact.org B4U-ACT, Inc. P.O. Box 1754 Westminster, MD 21158 410-751-9571 http://www.b4uact.org

The APA has had quite a history of promoting pedophilia. Here are a few quotes:

“the American Psychiatric Association (APA) recently sponsored a symposium in which participants discussed the removal of pedophilia from an upcoming edition of the psychiatric manual of mental disorders.” –Psychiatric Association Debates Lifting Pedophilia Taboo By Lawrence Morahan, CNSNews.com

“The clinical significance criteria were revised to clarify that, for Pedophilia, Voyeurism, Exhibitionism, and Frotteurism, if the person has acted on these urges, or the urges or sexual fantasies cause marked distress or interpersonal difficulty, then by definition there is clinical significance.” –Dissociative Disorders By APA

“the APA changed its criteria in a way that made room for the psychologically normal type of pedophile. A person who molested children was considered to have a psychiatric disorder only if his actions “caused clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning.” In other words, a man who molested children without remorse, and without experiencing significant impairment in his social and work relationships, could be diagnosed–at least theoretically–as a “psychologically normal” type of pedophile.” – The APA’s and the Pedophilia Controversy

Many pedophile organisations promote Parent Alienation as a disorder or syndrome.

Here are a list of confirmed pedophile organisations who have written in support of it:

http://www.reformsexoffenderlaws.org/digest.php

http://www.nnseek.com/e/alt.support.boylovers/parent-alienation_s.html

http://www.boychat.org/messages/1195439.htm

http://www.ipce.info/library_3/files/pasyndrome.htm

http://pedophileophobia.com/Richard%20Gardner.htm

http://www.nambla.org/matters.htm

http://www.sohopeful.org/intl/facts/files/Investigative%20System/IPT%20Journal%20Manipulating%20the%20Child%20Sexual%20Abuse%20System.pdf

Parent Alienation

Parent Alienation Syndrome or disorder is not an official diagnosis. It has not been accepted by any credible scientific body in the world. The literature behind this diagnosis is from a fringe psychologist who promoted child abuse as something to be accepted in society and promoted the notion that it is the victims and the advocates that are the problem. Mens groups have heavily promoted this as what they have referred to as, “abuse excuse“.

Despite the heavy coercion and psychological abuse that surrounds the use of this fake diagnosis,

it has been not only challenged, but debunked in proceedings. In fact, whilst the court may be able to guard against negligence litigation, family reporters are not so immune as they would like to present to their clients. Even if they use the term Parent Alienation without the disorder or the Syndrome on the end of it, it can still be argued that the term was in reference to Gardner’s syndrome. California introduced a “Non scientific theories” bill to stop the use of Parent Alienation.

You can report them to the psychologist board:

Psychologists Registration Boards

• Australian Capital Territory
• New South Wales
• Northern Territory
• Queensland
• South Australia
• Tasmania
• Victoria
• Western Australia

To work as a psychologist in Australia you are legally required to be registered, in the same way medical practitioners and solicitors must register to practice.

For more information about registration, see Working as a psychologist.

For information on the assessment of psychology qualifications gained overseas or locally, see Assessing Psychology Qualifications.

Australian Capital Territory

Psychologists Board of the ACT
Registrar: Ms Kathleen Taylor
Scala House, 11 Torrens St, Braddon ACT 2612
Tel: (02) 6205 1601
Fax: (02) 6205 1602
Email: kathleen.taylor@act.gov.au
www.health.act.gov.au/healthregboards

New South Wales

Psychologists Registration Board
Secretary: Ms Mary Shanahan
PO Box K599, Haymarket, NSW 1238
Tel: (02) 9219 0211
Fax: (02) 9281 2030
Email: psychreg@hprb.health.nsw.gov.au
www.psychreg.health.nsw.gov.au/

Northern Territory

The Psychology Registration Board of the NT
Registrar: Ms Carolyn Wilson
GPO Box 4221, Darwin, NT 0801
Tel: (08) 8999 4157
Fax: (08) 8999 4196
Email: healthprofessions.ths@nt.gov.au

Queensland

The Psychologists Board of QLD
Registrar: Ms Pauline Portier
GPO Box 2438, Brisbane, QLD 4001
Tel: (07) 3234 1164
Fax: (07) 3225 2527
Email: psychology@healthregboards.qld.gov.au
www.psychologyboard.qld.gov.au/

South Australia

South Australian Psychological Board
Registrar: Mr Peter Martin
16 Norma Street, Mile End, SA 5031
Tel: (08) 8443 9669
Fax: (08) 8443 9550
Email: sapb@saboards.com.au
www.sapb.saboards.com.au/

Tasmania

Psychologists Registration Board
Registrar: Ms Jayne Wilson
Level 2, 24 Murray Street, Hobart Tasmania 7000
Postal: GPO Box 792 Hobart TAS 7001
Ph: (03) 6224 9331
Fax: (03) 6224 9700
Email: psych@regboardstas.com
www.regboardstas.com/psychologists/

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Victoria

Psychologists Registration Board of Victoria
CEO / Registrar: Ms Melanie Saba
PO Box 358, Collins Street West, Melbourne, VIC 8007
Tel: (03) 9629 8722
Fax: (03) 9629 8744
Email: registrar@psychreg.vic.gov.au
www.psychreg.vic.gov.au/

Western Australia

Psychologists Board of WA
Assistant Registrar: Mrs Kim Firth
PO Box 263, West Perth, WA 6872
Tel: (08) 9321 8499
Fax: (08) 9481 4940
Email: psychboard@hlbwa.com.au
www.psychboard.wa.gov.au/

If they are a social worker, you can complain here:

http://www.aasw.asn.au/whatwedo/complaints-management

If they are a lawyer, you can complain here:

http://www.complaintline.com.au/legal_practitioner.html

Whilst complaints may seem like a negative process to go through, it is important that these organisations are aware that these practitioners are not acting appropriately.

Making judgments and decisions based upon non scientific theories is dangerous and detrimental. They ruin it for other practitioners who do not engage in misconduct. These bodies are there to make ensure that integrity within a profession is held so that it does not become a profession that is no longer used.

Where Do All Of The Perpetrators Go?

Just six days ago, a Laurence D’Alessandrowas found guilty of possessing over 16000 images of child pornography. It was deemed, “The very worst” “inhumane” and “evil”.

He was sentenced to 3 years jail. In 3 years time, this man will be out in our community, maybe already married with children or about to be married with children. We wont know. Some unlucky women and child may fall prey to such a predator in the future. With so many privacy laws protecting perpetrators, she may not know until its too late. If she makes the decision to protect the child and leave, he can still obtain unquestioned rights of access to the child through the family court. How that stands in legal terms of the Family court is “in the past”.

In a report from the Sentencing Advisory Council, the average rate of sentencing is an appalling figure on the value of a child’s livelihood:

Believe it or not, there is actually lesser sentence if the child is related to the abuser:

Considering the average jail term for incest being 4 years, the crimes that warrant higher sentences must be more abhorrent or are they?

1. A women is sentenced for 5 years over property investment.(source)
2. A man was sentenced for 3 years for denying the holocaust(source)
3. Copyright infringements are up to 5 years(Source)
4. Maximum penalty for juveniles caught stealing is 7- 8 years(source)
5. A man receives 7 years for taking bribes(Source)

So where do the perpetrators go?

Back into the community, into our unsuspecting lives, taking advantage of a legal system that is wholeheartedly supporting them. Again and again.