When Politics Distort Science: What Mental Health Professionals Can Do

Political distortions of science can occur on the right and left wings of the political spectrum and are causes of concern, not only to scientists and policy makers but also to physicians, psychiatrists, and mental health professionals seeking empirical support for clinical interventions. Science requires a shared set of operating assumptions, and sound policy making requires objective scientific data. While special interest groups often try to distort scientific findings to achieve single-minded political or economic objectives, distorting findings from one scientific field for personal or political reasons can undermine the entire scientific enterprise. Also troubling is the publicizing of “research” created solely to support political agendas. Such activities raise the troubling question of whether science as we know it can survive politicization. This paper briefly reviews some historical political efforts to deny or denigrate early scientific findings. It then goes on to describe contemporary attacks on science in what have come to be known as the “culture wars.” The role of the modern media and the techniques of distorting science in the media are reviewed. This paper concludes with some practical suggestions about the role mental health professionals can play in correcting distortions of science in their personal and professional communities.