title: A war over mental health professionalism: Scientology versus psychiatry.
abstract: Over 60 years ago, founder L. Ron Hubbard began what has become Scientology's greatest battle. Scientology emerged from Dianetics, which Hubbard hoped would replace the psychiatric profession. In this article, we discuss how Scientology attempted to position itself as a rival profession to psychiatry and the consequences of those attempts. Scientology's battle with psychiatry gained some success from the social conditions during which it emerged, but it continues in a time that has seen increasing success with various psychiatric treatments. As such, Scientology's direct influence on the psychiatric profession may be difficult to measure, but its actions have coincided with substantial challenges to psychiatry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, 5-21 HM Tory Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H4.
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kent
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, 5-21 HM Tory Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H4.
authors.forename: Terra A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Manca
keywords: Scientology; mental health; professions; pseudo-science; psychiatry