Hearing Voices is Mental Illness?

One special practice of psychiatry is to believe whatever makes a person suspected of mental illness look bad; and to disregard whatever makes the suspected person look good. Thus when a person says he hears voices, he is automatically believed even if he is lying. David Rosenhan demonstrated how effective such a claim is in an experiment with graduate students. In order to get themselves admitted to a mental hospital all it took was for them to say that they heard voices. His famous experiment was published in 1973, On Being Sane In Insane Places
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/179/4070/250.abstract
http://youtu.be/j6bmZ8cVB4o

Similarly when a court psychologist, psychiatrist or judge inquires of a suspect about any psychiatric history any admission is believed without any evidence; and any claim that the person is not mentally ill is ignored. It is called self identification and is accepted by public officials across the United States.

In the case of Aaron Alexis journalists report nationally that Alexis told Rhode Island police that he heard voices. Did the officer verify that was true? Did journalists verify that it was true? Is there any evidence other than a police report that Alexis said what he is reported to have said?

Based upon that police report, national media reports that Alexis was mentally ill. The concept of privacy, which is always applied to the medical records of politicians and celebrities is never protected for persons suspected of mental illness. Is there an exception in the state and US Constitutions which deny to persons suspected of mental illness or accused of mental illness, the same legal protections as celebrities and politicians?

Psychiatrists act as if their genes have been cleansed of mendacity, greed and sadism. They claim omniscience in court knowing the future as well. Journalists, politicians, judges and police believe them.   Isn't that special? All of the above mentioned job descriptions prevent making a distinction between crime and being suspected of or being accused of mental illness. For these special workers all persons accused of mental illness are guilty of crimes.

The rational basis for this belief is non existent. Yet it is pervasive. For liberals guns cause innocent persons to be shot dead. For conservatives mental illness causes innocent persons to be shot dead. Neither belief makes sense but it is a widespread belief. But whether any of the beliefs are true what is the connection between a person telling a police officer that he hears voices, and mental illness? In Massachusetts police are trained that if a person says that the FBI and the CIA are following him that is evidence of mental illness. But for 30 years James Bulger, John Martorano, Steve Flemmi, Kevin Weeks and Boston FBI Special Agent John Connolly were employed in covering up murdering law abiding  civilians who reported Bulger to the FBI for his drug dealing, murders and extortion. Does that explain why no one acted to stop 30 years of wholesale murders in Boston, Miami and Oklahoma? The state says that a Washington DC "consultant" wrote that training module.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/not-diagnosis-voices-head-more-common-thought-4B11186594

Not a diagnosis: Voices in head more common than thought
JoNel Aleccia
NBC News
Sep. 17, 2013 at 4:51 PM ET