Ideology and Insanity: Essays on the Psychiatric Dehumanization of Man

By Thomas Szasz

Book Overview

This book is a collection of the earliest essays of Thomas Szasz, in which he staked out his position on "the nature, scope, methods, and values of psychiatry." On each of these issues, he opposed the official position of the psychiatric profession. Where conventional psychiatrists saw themselves diagnosing and treating mental illness, Szasz saw them stigmatizing and controlling persons; where they saw hospitals, Szasz saw prisons; where they saw courageous professional advocacy of individualism and freedom, Szasz saw craven support of collectivism and oppression.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0815602561
• ISBN13: 9780815602569
• Release Date: April 1991
• Publisher: Syracuse University Press
• Length: 286 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Excellent interpretation

Memorization of the criticisms this book explores, will certainly instill in it's readers enough anger and intelligent contentions of the mental health system. Although not strikingly recent, the principles are the same, in whatever decade. This book reads very lucidly, and should captivate readers from front to back.