In this timely and provocative critique of modern psychiatry, Allan V. Horwitz examines current conceptions
of mental illness as a disease. He argues that this notion fits only a small number of serious psychological conditions,
and that most conditions currently regarded as mental illness are cultural constructions, normal reactions to stressful
social circumstances, or simply forms of deviant behavior. According to Horwitz, the formulation of mental illness
as disease benefits various interest groups, including mental health researchers and clinicians, prescriptive drug
manufacturers, and mental health advocacy groups, all of whom promote disease-based models. Presenting case studies
in maladies such as hysteria, multiple personality disorder, and depression, he examines the major causes and treatments
of mental illness, paying special attention to the use of pharmaceuticals. While biologically based causes and
treatments fit some of the entities formulated, Horwitz finds that more often than not, social responses offer
far more suitable remedies.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction--The Proliferation of Mental Illnesses
1. A Concept of Mental Disorder
2. The Expansion of Mental Disorder in Dynamic Psychiatry
3. The Emergence of Diagnostic Psychiatry
4. The Extension of Mental Illnesses into the Community
5. The Structuring of Mental Disorders
6. The Biological Foundations of Diagnostic Psychiatry
7. Social Causes of Distress
8. Diagnostic Psychiatry and Therapy
Conclusion
Mental Illnesses as Social Constructions
Notes
References
Index
