Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Jean Mercer (talk | contribs) at 14:39, 10 July 2006 (→[]). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Attachment Therapy

I tagged this recently-created article as original research since it appeared to be an essay in which the author draws conclusions; i.e., he was using Misplaced Pages to publish a paper. It appears that I have walked into a war between two (or more) people interested in this particular medical field. See Talk:Attachment_Therapy, User_talk:DPeterson, Talk:John Bowlby and Talk:Attachment_disorder. One side believes the article should be deleted and redirected to Attachment disorder, and the other side feels that it merits its own article. Hopefully the Misplaced Pages community can provide some consensus here and settle this. Aplomado 07:22, 9 July 2006 (UTC)

If you came here because someone asked you to, or you read a message on another website, please note that this is not a majority vote, but instead a discussion among Misplaced Pages contributors. Misplaced Pages has policies and guidelines regarding the encyclopedia's content, and consensus (agreement) is gauged based on the merits of the arguments, not by counting votes. However, you are invited to participate and your opinion is welcome. Remember to assume good faith on the part of others and to sign your posts on this page by adding ~~~~ at the end. Note: Comments may be tagged as follows: suspected single-purpose accounts: {{subst:spa|username}}; suspected canvassed users: {{subst:canvassed|username}}; accounts blocked for sockpuppetry: {{subst:csm|username}} or {{subst:csp|username}}.

• Suggestion Perhaps we should make an appeal on WikiProject Medicine for Wikipedians who are both experienced editors and medical experts Bwithh 07:34, 9 July 2006 (UTC)

I have made an appeal on the wikiproject talk page Bwithh 01:04, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

• Keep May demonstrate original research but this is a real form of therapy. Related, but weighty enough to be a seperate article. Needs clean up, not deletion. Dgies 07:58, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
• Delete There material on this subject is fully described in the pages Attachment therapy Attachment disorder, and related pages. Furthermore, the person who initiated the page, mercer, is a leader of a fringe group, ACT, or actively involved in it, and has had a book printed regarding this "issue" from which financial interest is derived. Finally, the article is clearly biased and represents an attempt to publish an essay. DPeterson 14:13, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
• Keep This article provides information that is not included under any other topic. The other discussions of various attachment issues do not refer to physical restraint or other intrusive practices, or to the role of adjuvant treatments, or to the history of these interventions, all of which are considered in the article under discussion. Popular material on Attachment Therapy presents a picture that may lead the public to search for information in Misplaced Pages, and it would be a service to provide this information in a concise but complete form rather than adding material to other topics and making the reader search for it. I am the author of the draft under consideration, and I can present as my credentials a doctorate in psychology, many years' work in developmental psychology and infant mental health, and publication of a number of the articles cited in the draft, which is not "original".As for the more substantive issue here, whether Attachment Therapy is an independent topic, I note that the American Professional Society on Abuse of Children (APSAC)appointed a task force to consider "Attachment therapy, Reactive Attachment Disorder, and Attachment Problems" (report published in the journal Child Maltreatment, 2006, Vol. 11, pp. 76-89). The report referred to "a particular subset of attachment therapy techniques developed by a subset of attachment therapy practitioners, techniques that have been implicated in several child deaths and other harmful effects... the controversy also extends to the theories, diagnoses, diagnostic practices, beliefs, and social group norms supporting these practices, and to the patient recruitment and advertising practices used by their proponents" (p. 77). I put it to this group that if APSAC considers this "subset" to be worthy of investigation by a task force, the "subset" is a topic separate from other considerations of attachment or of Reactive Attachment Disorder. It is to this subset that I applied the term Attachment Therapy, a label frequently used by "subset" practitioners and one likely to be known to members of the public who might be searching for information. I would like to continue with the page I drafted and to edit it to reflect the comments of the APSAC task force as quoted above.Jean Mercer 14:29, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

• Suggestion Delete This article reads more as propaganda. I'd recommend adding material on physical restraint or other intrusive practices to the relevant pages. Redirection to those pages, as occurs if you try Attachment therapy would work fine. Use of Misplaced Pages to publish is not really appropriate. SamDavidson 17:00, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
• KEEP Dr. Mercer and the APSAC Task Force agree in both their examination and estimation of Attachment Therapy. A synopsis of Attachment Therapy for Misplaced Pages by Dr. Mercer should be welcome. HealthConsumerAdvocate 18:08, 9 July 2006 (UTC) 'Should be deleted' as a one time user with no history of edits. 'The previous "keep" was deleted after it was noted that might be a surrogate. It was deleted by someone in the Denver Colorado area. It was suggested that only those who sign in should post. This and other "keep" posts look quite suspicious now. DPeterson 19:09, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
• 'Delete'I can see no purpose in developing this article since it's contents either duplicate material found elsewhere or that should be put elsewhere. Furthermore, I don't think an article should be a forum for a group, such as ACT, to present their views and opinions and exclude others. MarkWood 17:50, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
• 'Delete'I agree with the points raised by the others who wish to see the page deleted.JonesRD 20:45, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
• 'Question' Since Mercer and Sarner share a financial interest (together they published at least one book) and are also leaders of the group ACT, is it fair to consider their comments and ideas and "votes" as separate? I'd like to know what the Administrators think...or what other disinterested parties have to say. Thank you. JonesRD 20:45, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
  • I don't believe they should be allowed a vote. Sandy 01:18, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
    • This is not a vote so it's not really an issue. Aplomado 01:30, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
      • But if they have a financial interest in the topic and also leaders of a "fringe group" (meaning not accepted or used by mainstream professional groups such as APA, NASW, or APSAC, then would that effect the weight applied to their arguments and their credibility? DPeterson 01:37, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
• Strong keep. Attachment therapy itself may be bogus, and the entire article may be a mess, but the therapy warranted a study in a medical journal, so the solution is not to delete the article, rather to clean it up and reference it. That will at least serve the purpose of warning others who seek info that it has been studied, and may be bogus. The article may be a problem, and the therapy may be a problem, but it has been medically studied, and Wiki should report that accurately, and with references. If there are problems with the group pushing this therapy, that should also be dealt with in the article via information from reliable sources. PMID 16382093 Sandy 01:11, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

|