Edward Shorter’s riposte to ‘The myth of mental illness’ cuts through the redundant reasoning of Szasz, in some style. ^{Reference Shorter1,Reference Szasz2} Shorter succeeds by contrasting the notions of mental illness in the 1960s with modern science of the brain. In doing so, he also highlights the progression of psychiatry during this period. Unfortunately, his argument is undermined by unscientific claims. How many suicides resulted from anti-psychiatry? How many are due to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest? Shorter says ‘many’. If this is based on evidence, a reference should be cited. If not, why include conjecture in an otherwise excellent commentary?