The Myth of Mental Illness
by Thomas Stephen Szasz, Thomas S. Szasz, Thomas Szasz, Szasz, Thomas, S.; Thomas S. Szasz · first published 1961
38% recommend54% neutral8% critical
Why HN recommends it
Argues that many conditions labeled mental illness are better understood as problems of living than as diseases. Offers a critical look at psychiatry and psychological labels as forms of social control.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The author believes that what is nowadays accepted as mental illness is whatever psychiatrists say it is - and that psychiatry has, with increasing zeal, defined more and more kinds of behavior as mental illness. What is termed mental illness is in fact behavior disapproved of by the speaker.
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Szasz's "The Myth of Mental Illness" is one of those works which is completely and utterly misinterpreted simply because of the title. I don't have the book available at the moment, but in the introduction he says something to the effect…
on “A psychiatrist who didn’t believe in mental illness (2013)” ↗There's a book called The Myth of Mental Illness[0] that deals with this issue at length. The author argues that many forms of what we call "mental illness" are not real illnesses at all, but extreme preferences that prevent people from successfully…
on “How can you treat someone who doesn’t accept they are ill?” ↗…way as to provide actionable intelligence one way, or the exact reason WHY on the other... that's a BIG RED FLAG!!! Also... for an alternative viewpoint on Mental Illness, you might wish to read "The Myth Of Mental Illness" by Dr. Thomas Szasz, M.D. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_Mental_Illness "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" -Albert Einstein
on “Bipolar 1, job search of over 2 years. Looking for suggestions” ↗For deeper thoughts on the use of psychology as a means of control, see Thomas Szasz, especially The Myth of Mental Illness . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_Mental_Illness While there surely exist some disorders rooted in physical defects of the brain, mental illnesses too often become a means of forcing people…
on “Study: Potential criminals deterred by longer sentences” ↗“The Myth of Mental illness” Thomas Szasz https://depts.washington.edu/psychres/wordpress/wp-content/u...
on “The Sociological Study of Mental Illness: A Historical Perspective (2016)” ↗>Also... for an alternative viewpoint on Mental Illness, you might wish to read "The Myth Of Mental Illness" by Dr. Thomas Szasz, M.D. I might check that book out because it sounds interesting, but the Wikipedia article makes him sound like an idiot. More specifically, this strikes me as absolutely stupid:…
on “Bipolar 1, job search of over 2 years. Looking for suggestions” ↗…treat misunderstood behavioral problems with patent medicines. I have to conclude this comment before I can finish the article, so I'll link to my recent comment on the submission on the Szasz's book, the myth of mental illness: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19243417 edit: shortened my first quote from the linked article
on “The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs” ↗Two other links about Thomas Szasz, author of the controversial book The Myth of Mental Illness (1961). Lancet obituary: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-67... Book description page of book Szasz Under Fire: The Psychiatric Abolitionist Faces His Critics edited by Jeffrey…
on “Thomas Szasz (1920-2012): rebel with a questionable cause” ↗…slaves to flee captivity.[1]:41 Today, drapetomania is considered an example of pseudoscience,[2]:2 and part of the edifice of scientific racism.[3] Thomas Szasz mentions Drapetomania in his book, The Myth of Mental Illness, as an example of how psychiatry, when calling certain people "diseased", attempts to deny them responsibility as moral agents, in order to better control them." > ... isolating clusters of symptoms…
on “Song of the Introvert” ↗Your argument reminds me a bit of Thomas Szasz's book, The Myth of Mental Illness, which you might be interested in (if you haven't already read it). I don't 100% agree with his overall thesis, and I think your stance may actually be a bit more nuanced than his, but it's an interesting…
on “My Girlfriend Dissociated and Forgot Who I Was” ↗Cf. 'The Myth of Mental Illness' by Thomas Szasz (1961): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_Mental_Illness
on “Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction” ↗There is a book that I’ve had recommended to me that posits a similar idea to what you’re saying - it’s called “The Myth of Mental Illness” - I have not read it yet, but will pass along the recommendation to you.
on “The cause of depression is probably not what you think” ↗> The Myth of Mental Illness Having been close to a few people with psychotic disorders (I'm not misusing that term, I mean delusions, hallucinations, ...), this rubs me the wrong way. A mild case of depression may be safe to approach…
on “The cause of depression is probably not what you think” ↗