Szasz Under Fire: A Psychiatric Abolitionist Faces His CriticsJeffrey A. Schaler Since he published The Myth of Mental Illness in 1961, professor of psychiatry Thomas Szasz has been the scourge of the psychiatric establishment. In dozens of books and articles, he has argued passionately and knowledgeably against compulsory commitment of the mentally ill, against the war on drugs, against the insanity defense in criminal trials, against the "diseasing" of voluntary humanpractices such as addiction and homosexual behavior, against the drugging of schoolchildren with Ritalin, and for the right to suicide. Most controversial of all has been his denial that "mental illness" is a literal disease, treatable by medical practitioners. In Szasz Under Fire, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other leading experts who disagree with Szasz on specific issues explain the reasons, with no holds barred, and Szasz replies cogently and pungently to each of them. Topics debated include the nature of mental illness, the right to suicide, the insanity defense, the use and abuse of drugs, and the responsibilities of psychiatrists and therapists. These exchanges are preceded by Szasz's autobiography and followed by a bibliography of his works. |
Contents
1 | |
29 | |
57 | |
Do Humans Dream of Abstract Sheep? Ray Scott Percival | 119 |
A Critique Ralph Slovenko | 139 |
5 Prescribed Addiction Stanton Peele | 179 |
6 The Legitimacy of the Defense Insanity Rita J Simon | 199 |
7 Pharmacracy or Phantom? E James Lieberman | 225 |
9 What Kind of Freedom? Szaszs Misleading Perception of PhysicianAssisted Suicide Margaret P Battin and Ryan Spellecy | 277 |
10 Sideshow Schizophrenia as Constructed by Szasz and the NeoKraepelinians | 301 |
11 Moving Beyond the Myth of Mental Illness | 327 |
A Methodological Reinterpretation H Tristram Engelhardt Jr | 365 |
Documents from the Szasz Affair at Upstate | 393 |
Bibliography of Thomas Szasz | 403 |
431 | |
The Disordering Mental Effects of OfftheChart Life Experiences Margaret A Hagen | 253 |
Other editions - View all
Szasz Under Fire: A Psychiatric Abolitionist Faces His Critics Jeffrey A. Schaler Limited preview - 2004 |
Szasz Under Fire: A Psychiatric Abolitionist Faces His Critics Jeffrey A. Schaler No preview available - 2004 |
Common terms and phrases
Abbot abnormal abuse addiction American Journal American Psychiatric American Psychiatric Association argued argument autonomy behavior biological brain called child claim clinical concept of mental criminal critics Cromer defined diagnosis Diane Abbot’s doctors dopamine drugs emphasis added Ethics evidence example fact Fulford Fuller Torrey healthcare human individuals insanity defense involuntary involuntary commitment Journal of Psychiatry Karl Menninger Kendell Kraepelin Letters Lieberman logical Maimonides meaning medical school medicine ment mental diseases mental disorders mental health mental hospital mental illness mental patients mind moral Myth of Mental person Pharmacracy philosophical physical illness physician physician-assisted suicide political Popper practice problems psychiatric coercion psychiatric slavery psychoanalysis Psychology Psychotherapy PTSD regard responsibility Review role schizophrenia scientific Slovenko social symptoms Syracuse University Syracuse University Press Szaszian term theory Therapeutic therapy Thomas Szasz tion treat treatment value theory values World writes York