Comments on: Psychologists aid interrogators in the United States’ “War on Terror”

By: George

George — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:37:15 +0000

You are right- this is hideous. I totally agree with you that being present does no good for future treatment. Like you and many, many others, I completely agree that it looks more like collaboration in the whole stinking mess.

By: Daniel Brezenoff

Daniel Brezenoff — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:37:32 +0000

Sandy: You are making the very case that the military and psychologists working with the military have been making. Opponents of this practice think the argument is (not on your part, but on the part of the military) disingenuous at best – a cover for using mental health expertise to interrogate people more effectively. Psychologists who offer advice and analysis in service of gathering information in the context of torture or quasi-torture are in violation of their own ethical code.

Certainly, victims of torture should have access to mental health services after the fact; I think that’s actually an entirely separate issue. There’s no reason a psychologist needs to be present during the trauma in order to treat it; to the contrary, being present for such an event looks a whole lot like approval and collaboration to many in the field, and might interfere with the therapeutic alliance (I cannot see how it wouldn’t). Thanks for reading and for your willingness to dissent! Here’s hoping that that willingness isn’t crushed by the politics of fear that are currently pandemic on the planet.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:01:26 +0000

Well I guess I have to be the voice of dissent and admit that I find nothing wrong with this. If someone is trained to handle these types of situations then why not have a licensed professional on hand to help? Do I necessarily think the psychiatrist should be a part of the interrogation process? No but it might help to have someone knowledgeable in the field around to help the one being interrogated after the process is over. Is that not helping to secure that person’s human rights?

By: James K

James K — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:55:04 +0000

Yeah but you know there are others in every crowd who would do it just for the money involved.

By: Margo

Margo — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:03:24 +0000

I would not want to take a job that would in any way make me even have to consider doing these kinds of things. No matter the pay I think that is one I would have to leave to someone else.

By: daniel brezenoff

daniel brezenoff — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:15:47 +0000

Jess, all psychologists are bound to honor APA ethical regulations, and should not take a job that would require them to break those boundaries. Same for social workers and mfts, who must honor the ethical guidelines of their respective professional organizations.

By: Jess

Jess — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:12:37 +0000

What about psychatrists who are employed by the government and this is their job? To whose guidelines do they have to adhere? Their job requirements or the APA?

By: daniel brezenoff

daniel brezenoff — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:24:23 +0000

I certainly agree with you Gloria that this is all wrong. As for the APA, it has said what it is said and I don’t expect we’ll get much more from them. I do hope mental health professionals will, however, continue to pressure our professional organizations to make very clear statements of opposition to these practices.

Thanks for reading!

By: Gloria Hall

Gloria Hall — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:52:13 +0000

This is all wrong. There is no way that I as a therapist could ever be a part of this. It is against both my political and professional beliefs and I feel like there are some governing bodies which should immediately step in and take action against those who are abusing their professional licences in this manner. Thank you.

By: Jeanette

Jeanette — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:02:01 +0000

Thanks Daniel B! Could not have said it better myself! Interrogation and torture are completely an unAmerican processes, or they should be, and I in no way want to be a party to that.

By: daniel b

daniel b — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:29:41 +0000

Stacy: This is what many are arguing. Others think this is disingenuous. How would you feel about a medical doctor being present during a torture session?

I personally believe that the presence of mental health or medical professionals only serves to legitimize immoral practices, and a stronger statement from APA on the matter would be a nail in the coffin of these decidedly unAmerican activities.

Thanks for reading!

By: Bethany

Bethany — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:06:11 +0000

I totally agree with you Kyle. There are people trained for these sorts of things and they are called military personnel. There is no need for mental health professionals to become involved at this stage of the game. Now that is not to say that those undergoing interrogation will not need professional help in the future- they very well may and that is not something that these in the field have to shy away from. But I feel that there are some things that are better left to others and there is no need for involvement at this level. They may see things they may have never wanted to see and experience in their lives and there is simply no need for that.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:25:00 +0000

Personally I just feel that this is one arena that those in private practice should stay out of. Why not have someone employed by the governement to be in that role of safeguarding? I just kind of think that there are still too many political and personal issues involved to be able to be a part of something like this. How can you even begin to separate your feelings about these kinds of things? You can’t.

By: Stacy

Stacy — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:54:06 +0000

But why shouldn’t a professional in this field be represented there? Don’t you think this might actually safeguard the rights of those who are undergoing interrogation to have someone there who understands the human mind and what it can take while still maintaining safety for the one undergoing the questioning?

By: Augusta

Augusta — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:48:18 +0000

This is horribbly sad to learn about. This in no way reflects the profesisonalism that I expect to see from those trained in the mental health field.