Psikhushki Flashcards
(21 cards)
What shift occurred in the Soviet Union after Stalin’s death regarding political repression?
Reduced reliance on physical repression and turned to social control methods
This included labeling dissenters as mentally ill to justify their incarceration.
What was the purpose of the Prophylaxis Policy in the Soviet Union?
To suppress individual dissent and prevent public protest
This created an interlocking mechanism of social control.
Who controlled the psychiatric treatment in the Soviet Union, enabling political abuse?
The Ministry of Public Health
This made local reforms almost impossible.
What diagnosis did Soviet psychiatrist Andrei Snezhnevsky develop in the 1960s?
Sluggish schizophrenia
This was characterized by reformist delusions and personality changes.
What role did Vladimir Bukovsky play in exposing Soviet psychiatric abuse?
Smuggled medical records documenting the misdiagnosis and mistreatment of dissidents
His efforts raised international awareness of the issue.
Who did British organisations campaign for?
Eugene Belov and Petro Grigorenko
What critique did Merskey and Shafran have regarding the diagnosis of sluggish schizophrenia?
Argued it lacked scientific credibility and was politically motivated
Abusive treatments in psychiatric institutions (3)
Heavy sedation
Insulin shock therapy
High doses of antipsychotic drugs
These treatments often caused severe damage.
What did the Royal College of Psychiatrists establish in 1978?
The Special Committee on the Political Abuse of Psychiatry (SCPAP)
This committee investigated abuses and documented cases of political misuse.
What was the significance of the Declaration of Hawaii in 1977?
Established a universal ethical code for psychiatrists
It aimed to prevent abuses of psychiatry in the future.
What were the characteristics of the diagnosis of sluggish schizophrenia? (3)
Reformist delusions
Over-valued ideas
Personality changes
These traits targeted politically outspoken individuals.
What was the purpose of the manual on psychiatry for dissenters?
To help Soviet dissidents avoid wrongful diagnosis and incarceration
It provided guidance on behavior during psychiatric evaluations.
Who criticised the diagnosis of sluggish schozophrenia?
Merskey and Shafran
How did Bukovsky aid understandings of psikhushki?
Smuggled 150 pages of medical records documenting the misdiagnosis and mistreatment of dissidents. His efforts helped bring international attention to the issue.
Western psychiatric critique
Merskey and Shafran
Argued that they lacked scientific credibility and were politically motivated
Cultural impact
Valery Tarsis ‘Ward 7’
Stoppard, ‘Every God Boy Deserves a Favour’
Role of British human rights organisations
Playwrights Tom Stoppard and Harold Pinter signed campaigns for Bukovsky’s release
Campaign against Psychiatric Abuse (CAPA)
Cold War diplomacy
Exchange of Bukovsky for Luis Corvalan
Role of British diplomacy
Bukovsky meeting with Margaret Thatcher
World Psychiatric Association did what in 1977
Condemned Soviet practises
How did the Soviets manage to diagnose dissidents with schizophrenia?
Flexible diagnosis requirements eg no need for hallucinations
