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Hurling ordure at the TREACLES, especially those closely related to LessWrong.

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Has anyone with psychiatry training ever commented on Scott Alexander's ideas? (awful.systems)

submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by CinnasVerses@awful.systems to c/sneerclub@awful.systems

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I used to think that psychiatry-blogging was Scott Alexander's most useful/least harmful writing, because its his profession and an underserved topic. But he has his agenda to preach race pseudoscience and 1920s-type eugenics, and he has written in some ethical grey areas like stating a named friend's diagnosis and desired course of treatment. He is in a community where many people tell themselves that their substance use is medicinal and want proscriptions. Someone on SneerClub thinks he mixed up psychosis and schizophrenia in a recent post.

If you are in a registered profession like psychiatry, it can be dangerous to casually comment on your colleagues. Regardless, has anyone with relevant qualifications ever commented on his psychiatry blogging and whether it is a good representation of the state of knowledge?

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[+] Soyweiser@awful.systems 10 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

[deleted]

[–] BlueMonday1984@awful.systems 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm not in the profession either, but that sounds horrendously unethical.

[–] CinnasVerses@awful.systems 7 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

unethical

His post on a woman in the EA/LW world who took her own life after saying she had been sexually harassed is https://archive.is/I85mC and there are discussions on Old! SneerClub here and there. I am not comfortable going into this without training in how to talk about self-harm and first-hand knowledge but yeesh.

The Tumblr he cites belongs to Kelsey Piper, a self-identified journalist and meatspace friend who receives donations from people and orgs in the Effective Altruism world and keeps reporting on how EA ideas and people are great.

[–] BlueMonday1984@awful.systems 7 points 3 weeks ago

Okay, "unethical" was a colossal understatement for Scott's actions, the guy should be blacklisted from practicing and have his license revoked

[–] CinnasVerses@awful.systems 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Good point that SlateScott commented on accusations of abuse in rationalist and adjacent organizations. Would the Goldwater Rule have applied? At least there has been some reporting on those accusations but I don't know if it was on the ground or just phoning and emailing people from NYC, Chicago, or LA.

Someone with biochem, pharmacy, or psychology training could comment on some things SlateScott has written.

[–] Soyweiser@awful.systems 1 points 2 weeks ago

Due to the victims wishes (which I was aware of the time of posting), of this all not to harm EA, I have decided to delete the post. We saw it here and talked about it, feel no need to leave it around so it can spread to people with even less context.

[–] CinnasVerses@awful.systems 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

A clinical psychologist in a EU country looked at Lorien Psychology and said that the writing looked like typical American biomedical psychiatry with some self-promotion. In the UK and EU you can find psychiatrists who say things like "psychiatric diagnoses are scientifically worthless as tools to identify discrete mental health disorders," I think Scott Alexander blogged about Thomas Szasz at some point https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190708131152.htm

I am not comfortable exploring the question "did he violate professional ethics?" further because that seems like an unhealthy parasocial relationship like cyberstalking or swatting. I never met him or anyone who met him. More shoeleather reporting on these communities would help!