The Andrea Yates murder case underscores the insult to us all that the psychiatric worldview represents. Living well requires effort. It takes work to think about and plan one’s life, to get out of bed on time every day, to discharge one’s responsibilities with care, to be decent to one’s fellow human beings (even when they don’t deserve it), and to make sure there’s sustenance for self and family. But some people object to life’s demands; they resign and look for a way out, sometimes by killing themselves or others. The psychiatrists say that only disease can account for their acting that way – implying that those of us who live well, and let live, deserve no moral credit. Then again, if Andrea Yates isn’t responsible for killing her children, perhaps you and I aren’t responsible for not killing ours. No responsibility equals no freedom. That’s where all this leads.
