Both sell products to ward off the undesired.
Both are generally expensive...
Both are seen as cons by most of society.
Both are pseudoscience and anecdotal...
Both mental people and spiritually possessed people are seen by society as unacceptable and creepy...
Anyway... What are your opinions?
Keep an open mind. I know psychiatry is supported by some, however, others seem to disagree as discussed in my points above...
So who is right?
*cough* you can also add some religions into this.
I'm not naming anything.
I think it comes down to how I selectively chose to represent the question.
I do like this question - have a star. I find it difficult to accept that another person can come to a conclusion that they know what I think, what conclusions I will come up with in the face of a quandary, and what I intend to do next. Not only that their "Professional" opinion can be accepted by a court of law.
Similarities one through three are not unique to these two concepts. Pseudoscience covers a very large range of things, however, voodoo shouldn't even qualify as pseudoscience, and psychiatry is closer to actual science than pseudoscience in my opinion, at least compared to voodoo it is. Lastly, similarity five is a opinion and obviously not a con census gathered from multiple sources. Similarities like these aren't hard to find, for example.
Similarities between a Tomato and a Potato:
Both are edible.
Both are generally cheap since they are merely crops.
Both are seen as yummy by most of society. <--- Opinion, not a general consensus.
Both are agricultural products, but they're ancestors originated in the wild like other plants.
They are both grown by rednecks and hillbilly's in the boondocks of Kansas, or whatever. <--- BAD opinion.
I do see your point, and I do say that your correlations are interesting. However, I would say that they are the same like peanut butter and jelly are the same. They too have very equal things however in the end they serve very different purposes. In a way though you are right because a lot of "professionals" give the practice a bad name by labeling everything a mental illness. But, here is my argument and you can correct me if you believe it is wrong.
Voodoo is requiring people to believe in something while psychiatry is requiring people to believe in themselves. It can sound similar but in the end it has different results
Unlike voodoo, their is some empirical and observational evidence that supports psychiatry, as a science I would be inclined to agree that until recently (with the field of neuroscience emerging on the scene) that psychiatry was largely based on trial and error speculation, but there remains an empirical precedent for the effectiveness of some of its practices.
But it seems to me more of a survey science that has tremendous potential to be exploited by commercial industry in the form of pharmaceutical companies.
my opinion is that you have lost the plot and gone nuts.
they are nothing like each other.
there is NOTHING valid about any of what you have said.
intrigued to know what products you think psychiatry sells?
no one sees psychiatry as a con
and no one believes those with mental illness are possess by the devil or evil spirits any more.
Even though your question is kind of wacky you actually brought up a point that has been addressed by many experts. Probably the best book on the subject is Jerome Frank's Persuasion and Healing. Thomas Szasz also had a lot to say on the subject. To answer your question, only some sociological aspects are common. For example,the social standing of the healer, people's faith in the healer, etc. But everything else is different. When a psychiatrist writes a prescription for an antidepressant, the drug has been scientifically researched and based on findings approved by regulators. When a witch doctor gives you a pig testicle potion, well you know. Next time you need a psychiatrist, go to your nearest voodoo joint and see what happens!
Is psychiatry similar to voodoo?
