The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct

(Paperback)

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50th Anniversary Edition With a New Preface and Two Bonus Essays The most influential critique of psychiatry ever written, Thomas Szasz's classic book revolutionized thinking about the nature of the psychiatric profession and the moral implications of its practices. By diagnosing unwanted behavior as mental illness, psychiatrists, Szasz argues, absolve individuals of responsibility for their actions and instead blame their alleged illness. He also critiques Freudian psychology as a pseudoscience and warns against the dangerous overreach of psychiatry into all aspects of modern life.

Reviews

The landmark book that argued that psychiatry consistently expands its definition of mental illness to impose its authority over moral and cultural conflict. New York Times Enormously courageous and highly infomative, and it makes fascinating reading . . . bold and often brilliant. Science Controversial and influential . . . an iconoclastic work. Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times Book Review Szaszs radical views on mental illness and drug addiction have been presented with great consistency and courage . . . I predict that Dr. Szaszs work and thought will once again come to the fore: he takes the long view. Will Self, The Times (London) A classic. Salon.com A damning critique of mental illness . . . a classic work. Toronto Star Quite probably, Szasz has done more than any other man to alert the American public to the potential dangers of an excessively psychiatrized society. Atlantic Monthly

Author Bio

Born in Budapest, Hungary, Thomas Szasz is professor emeritus of psychiatry at the State University of New York in Syracuse, where he has taught since 1956. He earned his M.D. from the University of Cincinnati and received psychoanalytic training at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. In addition to THE MYTH OF MENTAL ILLNESS, his best-known work, Dr. Szasz is the author of 30 scholarly books and numerous academic articles.