Specify Containing Books Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill
| Title | : | Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill |
| Author | : | Robert Whitaker |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 334 pages |
| Published | : | April 17th 2003 by Basic Books (first published January 3rd 2002) |
| Categories | : | Psychology. Nonfiction. History. Health. Mental Health. Science. Mental Illness. Medicine |
Robert Whitaker
Paperback | Pages: 334 pages Rating: 4.16 | 1940 Users | 152 Reviews
Description Concering Books Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill
In Mad in America, medical journalist Robert Whitaker reveals an astounding truth: Schizophrenics in the United States currently fare worse than patients in the world's poorest countries, and quite possibly worse than asylum patients did in the early nineteenth century. With a muckraker's passion, Whitaker argues that modern treatments for the severely mentally ill are just old medicine in new bottles, and that we as a society are deeply deluded about their efficacy. Tracing over three centuries of "cures" for madness, Whitaker shows how medical therapies have been used to silence patients and dull their minds. He tells of the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century practices of "spinning" the insane, extracting their teeth, ovaries, and intestines, and submerging patients in freezing water. The "cures" in the 1920s and 1930s were no less barbaric as eugenic attitudes toward the mentally ill led to brain-damaging lobotomies and electroshock therapy. Perhaps Whitaker's most damning revelation, however, is his report of how drug companies in the 1980s and 1990s skewed their studies in an effort to prove the effectiveness of their products. Based on exhaustive research culled from old patient medical records, historical accounts, numerous interviews, and hundreds of government documents, Mad in America raises important questions about our obligations to the mad, what it means to be "insane," and what we value most about the human mind.
Itemize Books During Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill
| Original Title: | Mad In America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill |
| ISBN: | 0738207993 (ISBN13: 9780738207995) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Containing Books Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill
Ratings: 4.16 From 1940 Users | 152 ReviewsComment On Containing Books Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill
Mental illness is one of the most complex struggles I can conceive. For the individual and society. For start, even calling it an illness suggests that we understand it primarily as a biological process; a subtle shift in terminology which may, ironically, impede recovery. Whitaker focuses on the history of schizophrenia treatment in the United States. Beginning with the moral treatment the Quakers used in respite homes and, subsequently, employed at Pennsylvania Hospital. However, it did notDetails the treatment of mental illness for the past several hundred years. Interesting & sometimes shocking to read about some of the approaches that have been tried. I think one of the author's purposes was to make the psychopharmacological treatments of the last few decades seem just as ineffective and brutal as those from the past. Somewhat interesting, but got really boring/academic when it got to lobotomy & drug treatments.
There are so many things that I could say about this book, but... I will simply say this... Just read it. And after you read it, watch the film Food Inc. for good measure.
I am not sure how to rate this book honestly. The author did very well at putting this book together. However, I am not sure if I should "like" the book because I did not enjoy reading about the horrific treatment of people with mental illness. But I am grateful to have this knowledge about how these people were treated. It upsets me about what these people were put through, but on the other hand I am contemplating on whether or not I believe it was necessary in order to get to where we are
This book was referenced by the author of "Shutter Island". It tells the history of mental treatment in America from the Quakers who tried to cure madness with gentle treatment to the drugs prescribed today. Some of it is frightening and terrible. Towards the end the author focused solely on schizophrenia and the drugs used to treat it. I would have found it more interesting if other psychiatric issues were addressed, but perhaps they're too many to mention. The author feels there is a vast
A very interesting and shocking account of how psychiatry, more specifically the treatment of schizophrenia has changed over the years. This is a very important book about how the limitations in science and how the society has contributed to the mistreatment of the mentally ill.Horrifying was the treatment of the mentally ill back in the day. Bleeding to the point of fainting; induced vomiting; swinging chairs; bath of surprise; drowning to the point of near death; removal of the uterus, ovaries
An extremely interesting history of mental health in America, particularly noteworthy for its observations on how societal attitudes and economic factors influenced treatment.
0 Comments