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What in the name of God has happened to the APA?
I was trained as a psychologist during the early days of the Reagan "revolution". At the time, the APA represented the voice of reason as we fought the conservative agenda, from the atacks on the school lunch program to the demonization of the gay/lesbian movement.
I watched as the APA began the fight to achieve parity with the medical professionals, watched as we lost ground continually as mental health services were at the least drastically cut and at the worst eliminated altogether in the name of eradicating "entitlement". I retained a certain pride in the profession, and hoped for the best.
Then along came "Curious George W" and 9/11. The APA at that time apparently decided that the last best hope for the profession was adapting to the desires of the Right, and providing services that the medical profession refused to endorse.
I for one firmly believe that the Faustian bargain that we as a profession made was in fact the death knell for our movement. Compassion? Nah, we don't do that. We're a skeered!
I've resigned my ties to the APA. I encourage all allied professionals to do the same. If we have to go the way of the dinosaurs, at least we go down with our morality intact.
