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The social significance of this book is such that I have decided to discuss the social context in which it was written before proceeding to review the book itself. Sex abuse and its offshoots confront psychiatrists, psychologists, and related mental health professionals with complex social issues that go far beyond the identification and treatment of legitimate sex-abuse victims. Clinical and ethical dilemmas are raised at every turn as mental health professionals deal with mandated reporting, recovered memory therapy, satanic ritual abuse, multiple personality disorders, and the problem of false allegations, which is woven throughout. Dr. Gardner is foremost among those who suggest that these are symptoms of the sex-abuse hysteria that permeate society and the mental health professions today. The 1980s were dominated by the belief in professional circles that children don't lie about sexual abuse. “Nonsense,” says Dr. Gardner in his refreshing and sometimes provocative style.
The National Council on Child Abuse and Neglect has identified false allegations of child abuse as a serious social problem. The number of children and families harmed by false allegations has reached epidemic proportions. Increasingly, professional organizations are being called on to take positions on the controversial issues involved. In 1988, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry came out with a position paper stating that when sex abuse is alleged, false allegations should always be considered, especially in the context of divorce or when the accuser is an adolescent. More recently, the American Medical Association and the Australian Psychological Association have come forth on the side of science and debunked repressed memory therapy. The American Psychological Association has tried to straddle the fence, whereas some associations remain immobilized, declining to take a position at all.
In the meantime, serious questions have been raised about the efficacy of psychiatric