PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS
With all our current collective social psychiatric problems, the most potentially dangerous one by far seems to be getting the least attention. That is nuclear war capability.
In the time that it will take you to read this, we could already be on the way to the destruction of civilization as we know it.1 Current expectations are that it may only take a little over an hour to launch a full attack.
However, even when Russia brings up the nuclear card in Ukraine, not much media uproar occurs. Maybe they are bluffing? However, though very unlikely, nuclear war could also be provoked unintentionally by a mistake or miscalculation, say shooting down an enemy’s plane. Such a scenario was depicted in the movie satire titled “Dr. Strangelove: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.” This followed the assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963, for which there has been ongoing conspiracy theories. In this Cold War movie, released in January 1964, Dr. Strangelove had “Alien hang syndrome,” as he could not stop saluting the Fuhrer. The assumption up to then—and now—is that mutual nuclear risks would deter both sides. That did not happen in the movie, as it ended with world genocide.
As time went on, physicians and psychiatrists were very concerned about the nuclear threat. The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) was formed in 1980 and had prominent psychiatrist representation in Eric Chivian. Only 5 years later, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for “creating an awareness of the catastrophic consequences of atomic warfare.” Though not as striking, its work continued. However, more and more countries have achieved nuclear weapons capability, including now the apparent imminent potential of Iran, and the lethality of the weapons much, much greater than illustrated in Japan to help end World War II.
Major articles on reducing the risks occur now and then in the psychiatric literature. A recent one points out that other polycrises and existential threats—pandemics, climate change, economic failure, and political strife—seem to get much more attention.2
Historically, psychiatrists have sought to expose the avoidance, denial, and dehumanization that can set the stage for nuclear war. From the 1960s to 1980s, there was even reference to a nuclear psychiatry subspecialty that addresses delusional and distorted thinking about the nuclear question as a response to nuclear anxiety.3 Robert Jay Lifton, who started his social psychiatric research in Hiroshima following the targeted nuclear bomb there, has continued to write about nuclear risks.4
In my own writing and presentations, I have tried to convey some concern about nuclear war in a broader context of adding ecology to our bio-psycho-social model. A bio-psycho-social-eco model would also include climate instability, environmental toxins, and biological weapons.5,6
Where does that leave us psychiatrists in terms of nuclear war? Does almost 80 years free of nuclear weapon use suggest the world has have enough cognitive control as well as checks and balances to not worry very much? Although the Japanese atomic bomb survivors’ group Nihon Hidankyo received the Noble Peace Prize recently, there is fading of living historical memory about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, just like there is with the dwindling Holocaust survivors. There is also an upcoming era of artificial intelligence controlled nuclear weaponry. Perhaps we have our own psychological denial of its immense risks. Besides, we have enough to worry about in our own clinical work and ongoing social psychiatric problems, don’t we?
Though the risk of nuclear war may seem very small, its potential harm is immense and almost unimaginable. Just watch “Dr. Strangelove” if that cannot be imagined. Or, if you do not like dark satires, the older 1959 movie “On the Beach,” which seriously, sadly, and perhaps realistically, depicts the devastating impact on the living world after a World War III.
With world conflicts seemingly escalating again, the time for us collectively and individually to contribute to the cause of nuclear containment is now, don’t you think? One way might be through a psychiatrist peace collective of sorts. Research indicates that just 25% of individuals with coordinated action can start to shift societal norms.7
Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He presented the third Rabbi Jeffrey B. Stiffman lecture at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis on Sunday, May 19, 2024. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.
References
1. Jacobsen A. Nuclear War: A Scenario. Dutton; 2024.
2. Ongur D. Reducing the risks of nuclear war. JAMA Psychiatry. 2023;80(10):987.
3. Michaels PA. “Wars begin in the minds of men”: psychiatry and the Cold War Antinuclear Movement. Journal of Contemporary History. 2022;57(2):433-454.
4. Lifton RJ. Witness to an Extreme Century: A Memoir. Free Press; 2014.
5. Moffic HS. Now’s the time for the bio-psycho-social environmental model. Psychiatric Times. November 2, 2017. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/nows-time-bio-psycho-social-environmental-model
6. Moffic HS. Toward a bio-psycho-social-eco model of psychiatry. Psychiatric Times. 2019;36(12).
7. Centola D, Becker J, Brackbill D, Baronchelli A. Experimental evidence for tipping points in social convention. Science. 2018;360(6393):1116-1119.
Blog
Article
Social Psychiatric New Year Resolution #1: Stopping Dr. Strangelove
Author(s):
Key Takeaways
- Nuclear war, though overshadowed by other crises, poses immense and unimaginable risks to civilization.
- Psychiatrists have historically addressed nuclear anxiety, advocating for awareness and prevention of nuclear conflict.
- The fading memory of past nuclear events and AI-controlled weaponry increase the potential nuclear threat.
- Collective action, potentially led by psychiatrists, is crucial to shift societal norms towards nuclear containment.
SHOW MORENuclear war capability: why we should be worried psychiatrically.
Romolo Tavani/AdobeStock
PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS
With all our current collective social psychiatric problems, the most potentially dangerous one by far seems to be getting the least attention. That is nuclear war capability.
In the time that it will take you to read this, we could already be on the way to the destruction of civilization as we know it.1 Current expectations are that it may only take a little over an hour to launch a full attack.
However, even when Russia brings up the nuclear card in Ukraine, not much media uproar occurs. Maybe they are bluffing? However, though very unlikely, nuclear war could also be provoked unintentionally by a mistake or miscalculation, say shooting down an enemy’s plane. Such a scenario was depicted in the movie satire titled “Dr. Strangelove: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.” This followed the assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963, for which there has been ongoing conspiracy theories. In this Cold War movie, released in January 1964, Dr. Strangelove had “Alien hang syndrome,” as he could not stop saluting the Fuhrer. The assumption up to then—and now—is that mutual nuclear risks would deter both sides. That did not happen in the movie, as it ended with world genocide.
As time went on, physicians and psychiatrists were very concerned about the nuclear threat. The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) was formed in 1980 and had prominent psychiatrist representation in Eric Chivian. Only 5 years later, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for “creating an awareness of the catastrophic consequences of atomic warfare.” Though not as striking, its work continued. However, more and more countries have achieved nuclear weapons capability, including now the apparent imminent potential of Iran, and the lethality of the weapons much, much greater than illustrated in Japan to help end World War II.
Major articles on reducing the risks occur now and then in the psychiatric literature. A recent one points out that other polycrises and existential threats—pandemics, climate change, economic failure, and political strife—seem to get much more attention.2
Historically, psychiatrists have sought to expose the avoidance, denial, and dehumanization that can set the stage for nuclear war. From the 1960s to 1980s, there was even reference to a nuclear psychiatry subspecialty that addresses delusional and distorted thinking about the nuclear question as a response to nuclear anxiety.3 Robert Jay Lifton, who started his social psychiatric research in Hiroshima following the targeted nuclear bomb there, has continued to write about nuclear risks.4
In my own writing and presentations, I have tried to convey some concern about nuclear war in a broader context of adding ecology to our bio-psycho-social model. A bio-psycho-social-eco model would also include climate instability, environmental toxins, and biological weapons.5,6
Where does that leave us psychiatrists in terms of nuclear war? Does almost 80 years free of nuclear weapon use suggest the world has have enough cognitive control as well as checks and balances to not worry very much? Although the Japanese atomic bomb survivors’ group Nihon Hidankyo received the Noble Peace Prize recently, there is fading of living historical memory about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, just like there is with the dwindling Holocaust survivors. There is also an upcoming era of artificial intelligence controlled nuclear weaponry. Perhaps we have our own psychological denial of its immense risks. Besides, we have enough to worry about in our own clinical work and ongoing social psychiatric problems, don’t we?
Though the risk of nuclear war may seem very small, its potential harm is immense and almost unimaginable. Just watch “Dr. Strangelove” if that cannot be imagined. Or, if you do not like dark satires, the older 1959 movie “On the Beach,” which seriously, sadly, and perhaps realistically, depicts the devastating impact on the living world after a World War III.
With world conflicts seemingly escalating again, the time for us collectively and individually to contribute to the cause of nuclear containment is now, don’t you think? One way might be through a psychiatrist peace collective of sorts. Research indicates that just 25% of individuals with coordinated action can start to shift societal norms.7
Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He presented the third Rabbi Jeffrey B. Stiffman lecture at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis on Sunday, May 19, 2024. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.
References
1. Jacobsen A. Nuclear War: A Scenario. Dutton; 2024.
2. Ongur D. Reducing the risks of nuclear war. JAMA Psychiatry. 2023;80(10):987.
3. Michaels PA. “Wars begin in the minds of men”: psychiatry and the Cold War Antinuclear Movement. Journal of Contemporary History. 2022;57(2):433-454.
4. Lifton RJ. Witness to an Extreme Century: A Memoir. Free Press; 2014.
5. Moffic HS. Now’s the time for the bio-psycho-social environmental model. Psychiatric Times. November 2, 2017. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/nows-time-bio-psycho-social-environmental-model
6. Moffic HS. Toward a bio-psycho-social-eco model of psychiatry. Psychiatric Times. 2019;36(12).
7. Centola D, Becker J, Brackbill D, Baronchelli A. Experimental evidence for tipping points in social convention. Science. 2018;360(6393):1116-1119.
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Facing the First Days of the Pandemic: A Conversation With David Chong, MD, and Sara Nash, MD
Making Amends During the Holiday Season
Lloyd Sederer, MD: A Conversation About Addiction and the Opioid Epidemic
Everything You Wanted to Know About Crazy (But Forgot to Ask Your DJ): Deconstructing Crazy Part II
What I Didn’t Psychiatrically Understand in 2024. Did You?