Human behavior all that goes with it is controlled by the brain, the organ scientist know the least about. That doesn't mean psychology and psychiatry isn't a science. It's been established that psychology is a behavioral science, not a medical one. Still the medical model can be beneficial to many clients, especially when the medical and behavioral overlap as is the case in addiction and eating disorders. If we don't see these as medical than people aren't going to get the help they need, or at least not enough of it. Mental health is also consistently linked to physical health. Stress affects health in so many negative ways that I can't see it as a separate issue. Of course there are other reasons to attend therapy that are purely for personal growth or simply as a plaw to vent, but that isn't why the majority of mental health consumers seek treatment. That is why research is so helpful in many cases - it shows what's worked for a certain number of people and what hasn't. You'll never have the black and white results you'd find in a blood test, but it's still giving information that is measurable. Are there a lot of bogus studies out there? Of course there are (the link between vaccines and autism is one of the better known ones and that author did jail time), but this is the case in all research; just because something is published doesn't mean it's any good. If multiple studies are done on the same topic yielding similar results, the odds are better that there may be something meaningful there. I have also been in a few studies and thought it was interesting and fun- nothing dehumanizing; years ago was a different story, but today you won't find such outrageousness. The truth is that human behavior is pretty consistent and the norms researchers have identified are useful when used as a guide and when used properly. I don't see how that is a negative thing - human nature is what it is, and humans are more similar than people like to believe sometimes. The flip side to this is that information is often misunderstood, misinterpreted and manipulated. That doesn't mean it isn't legitimate, or even scientific. If just means that psychology isn't an exact science and no one claims that it is.There is a lot of research that shows that bad therapy can be more harmful than no therapy but that isn't meant to generalize to all therapy. That's like saying being admitted to a hospital is bad because people sometimes die from complications that occurred while receiving treatment (which wouldn't have happened at home). Something can go wrong, a simple oversight or mistake on behalf of s nurse or doctor can cause complications that shouldn't have happened. Just like in therapy, unless it's a glaring mistake that you can't help but see, then for all purposes nothing happened and you're not going to find doctors and nurses admitting to any mistakes or other staff calling anyone out for mistakes either.. Gas lighting and covering ones ***** in order to avoid a lawsuit is not unique to the field of psychology, or even medicine for that matter. I guess my point is that I don't see how it's helpful to be dismissive or on the defensive about an entire discipline of "science", even if you don't believe it to be one. You may not agree with some theories or understand some and that's fine. Isn't it still better to approach therapy and psychology in general with a healthy degree of skepticism so one can advocate for themselves in the event that they do find themselves receiving bad treatment? If one doesn't have that ability, hopefully there is someone who can advocate for them.