The truth behind psycho-babble

If you've ever felt that most psychiatrists and psychologists are just making it up as they go along, you're not far off.

Most Shrinks place little to no value on science and research, just the value of your insurance check. In return, they'll give you whatever screwball treatment they feel like -- whether it works or not.

But you don't have to take my word for it -- just take a look at the damning new report in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, the result of a major two-year analysis that lays out the ugly truth behind this shady industry.

"Many clinical psychologists today, perhaps the majority, are deeply ambivalent about the role of science in informing their practice," the authors write.

This report wasn't written by some unhappy fringe or radical group looking to discredit psychology. It was written by a group of top psychologists, some of the few rays of light who see the darkness engulfing their profession.

Any so-called doctor who ignores real scientific research and just goes with whatever he likes is a QUACK, plain and simple. As far as I'm concerned, it's always hunting season for these lame ducks -- but I'm going to let someone else take aim…

"The disconnect between what clinicians do and what science has discovered is an unconscionable embarrassment", Columbia University's Walter Mischel told Newsweek in an article on the report.

Dr. Mischel isn't some sharp-tongued malcontent -- he's one of the leading names in his field, a man who has written some of the textbooks used in psychology courses. Mischel wrote an editorial that went along with the study, and if you take a moment to read it you'll never look at your shrink the same way again.

That recent article in Newsweek looked at the solid research behind proven techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy for conditions such as panic disorders and depression.

Yet many psychologists prefer bizarre treatments like dolphin-assisted therapy, where the animals are supposed to help people overcome their disorders.

The great shame of it is that there are some effective psychological treatments that work far better than meds for some tough disorders.

Just don't expect to get them from your local quack doctor.