⋙ PDF The Myth of Mental Illness Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct Revised Edition Thomas S Szasz Books

The Myth of Mental Illness Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct Revised Edition Thomas S Szasz Books

Download As PDF : The Myth of Mental Illness Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct Revised Edition Thomas S Szasz Books

The Myth of Mental Illness Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct Revised Edition Thomas S Szasz Books

I will start by saying I have Bipolar Disorder, and have struggled with it for many years.

I've had some time off recently, so I wanted to really investigate the science behind my disorder. I started with two books on mental health policy over the past 50 years ( "American Psychosis" for a negative take, and "Better but Not Well" for a more positive, mainstream take), then I read the latest psychiatric information about the disorder- the suspected genetic causes , the brain chemistry approach, the neurological evidence from the official peer-reviewed literature. I altogether found it unsatisfying. Everywhere I turned, it was always "While the specific mechanism is unknown, it is believed..." or "While specific genes cannot be found, it does seem to run in families..." Even the neurological explanation didn't seem able to distinguish cause from effect, or come up with any predictive mechanism. I began to really question the mainstream, so I read "Anatomy of an Epidemic", which was an excellent summary of all the research showing that the brain-chemistry model is ineffective. I even investigated my own medication, and found that Lamictal, the primary drug of choice for bipolar treatment, was found to be ineffective in 7 out of 9 clinical trials ( Of course GSK only published the positive two).

All Thomas Szasz really says here is that we can't view mental illness, that is to say, the major mood disorders and psychoses, as normal diseases. We can't pretend that mental illness is some exogenous force that is totally irrelevant of the victim's life experiences, the victims traumas and tragedies, and the victim's behaviors. In fact, new research into the pscychosocial explanation finds very strong evidence for the importance of these things in predicting the incidence of mental illness. And if its true, as Szasz argues, that there is this very strong psychosocial element, then therapy to understand these issues and perceptions and to allow the patient to change behavior is the best option for treatment. Again, research shows the efficacy of Psychotherapy in general as well as CBT specifically.

Finally, I can say he is 100% correct in his assertion that much of psychiatry is inhumane. Involuntary treatment, and even the attitude that certain ways of life are "right" and other ways "bad," are means of controlling people. They are a way for society to get rid of undesirables and call it compassion, and on the other side, an escape valve for the oppressed. A key piece of evidence for this is that "homosexuality" was a mental illness for a long time, something we would scoff at now; that was a means of social control, not a means of helping the patient. Healing can only occur in an atmosphere of respect and dignity, where the doctor respects the patient's rights and autonomy, and where the patient takes responsibility.

The book is quite plodding at points, but if you skip his abstract explanations and jump straight to the examples he gives, it is very clear. While I'm not convinced that all mental illness is purely a construction, I think Szasz hits the nail on the head for the general direction Psychiatry has moved.


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The Myth of Mental Illness Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct Revised Edition Thomas S Szasz Books Reviews

Read it for a grad school class. Awesome. Really interesting. Highly recommend.
This book it a must read for anyone interested in leaning more about the epistemological nature of psychology and about the recent invention of the mental health field.
Thomas Szazs prophetic prediction of where the label "mental illness" would get us is as relevant as it has ever been.
Szasz once said that he is the only doctor in his field who hands were clean, because he never medicated any of his patients. Very illuminating read, this is one of those books that will change your way of looking at the largely pseudo-scientific field of psychiatry. A worldview changer of a read!
Dr. Szasz presages a number of authors who wrestle with the various issues facing postmodern American society, especially those concerning how the dilution of meaning--that is, what constitutes truth in an objective sense--has impacted society in general. He also discusses how the misuse of broad definitions viz. mental illness have had the unintended consequence of misrepresenting and confusing bona fide clinical illnesses from those that are actually matters of moral and ethical judgment and choice. From Dr. Szasz's perspective, the postmodern attitude that "anything goes" is a chimera, an illusion. Postmodernism as a mindset has served to fragment society into factions with the conflict between individualism and collectivism taking front stage. I would recommend reading this book along with Kurt Andersen's book Fantasyland How America Went Haywire (2017) to grasp the social identity crisis that is afflicting America in the present era, and that have been part of the American psyche since the Pilgrims...
A renaissance man for sure. I learned a great deal from this book and other books by him. He also inspired me to write my own book " The Loss of Grace in an Asylum," which is an authentic account of the oppressive criminal nature of psychiatry at Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey.
As a retired health care professional, I wish that I had read this book a long, long time ago. It should be standard reading in all health care professional training, and especially in any field related to mental health. Unfortunately, the mainstream powers that be will not allow that. I recommend that you buy this book in paper and give it to any health care professional you deal with. The life and mental health you save may be your own.
I will start by saying I have Bipolar Disorder, and have struggled with it for many years.

I've had some time off recently, so I wanted to really investigate the science behind my disorder. I started with two books on mental health policy over the past 50 years ( "American Psychosis" for a negative take, and "Better but Not Well" for a more positive, mainstream take), then I read the latest psychiatric information about the disorder- the suspected genetic causes , the brain chemistry approach, the neurological evidence from the official peer-reviewed literature. I altogether found it unsatisfying. Everywhere I turned, it was always "While the specific mechanism is unknown, it is believed..." or "While specific genes cannot be found, it does seem to run in families..." Even the neurological explanation didn't seem able to distinguish cause from effect, or come up with any predictive mechanism. I began to really question the mainstream, so I read "Anatomy of an Epidemic", which was an excellent summary of all the research showing that the brain-chemistry model is ineffective. I even investigated my own medication, and found that Lamictal, the primary drug of choice for bipolar treatment, was found to be ineffective in 7 out of 9 clinical trials ( Of course GSK only published the positive two).

All Thomas Szasz really says here is that we can't view mental illness, that is to say, the major mood disorders and psychoses, as normal diseases. We can't pretend that mental illness is some exogenous force that is totally irrelevant of the victim's life experiences, the victims traumas and tragedies, and the victim's behaviors. In fact, new research into the pscychosocial explanation finds very strong evidence for the importance of these things in predicting the incidence of mental illness. And if its true, as Szasz argues, that there is this very strong psychosocial element, then therapy to understand these issues and perceptions and to allow the patient to change behavior is the best option for treatment. Again, research shows the efficacy of Psychotherapy in general as well as CBT specifically.

Finally, I can say he is 100% correct in his assertion that much of psychiatry is inhumane. Involuntary treatment, and even the attitude that certain ways of life are "right" and other ways "bad," are means of controlling people. They are a way for society to get rid of undesirables and call it compassion, and on the other side, an escape valve for the oppressed. A key piece of evidence for this is that "homosexuality" was a mental illness for a long time, something we would scoff at now; that was a means of social control, not a means of helping the patient. Healing can only occur in an atmosphere of respect and dignity, where the doctor respects the patient's rights and autonomy, and where the patient takes responsibility.

The book is quite plodding at points, but if you skip his abstract explanations and jump straight to the examples he gives, it is very clear. While I'm not convinced that all mental illness is purely a construction, I think Szasz hits the nail on the head for the general direction Psychiatry has moved.