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Psychiatry and Its Discontents

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( 37 ratings, 3 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Psychiatry and Its Discontents, by renowned historian Andrew Scull, offers a broad and critical examination of psychiatry's evolution. It traces the profession's rise from the asylum era through the dominance of psychoanalysis to the shift towards biological and pharmaceutical treatments. The essays explore psychiatry's ongoing crises of legitimacy and its profound effects on those with mental illness, illuminating the complex history behind modern mental health care.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This work suits readers interested in the history and critical analysis of psychiatry, mental health professionals seeking historical context, and anyone curious about the social and scientific shifts in the treatment of mental illness.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Written by one of the world’s most distinguished historians of psychiatry, Psychiatry and Its Discontents provides a wide-ranging and critical perspective on the profession that dominates the treatment of mental illness. Andrew Scull traces the rise of the field, the midcentury hegemony of psychoanalytic methods, and the paradigm’s decline with the ascendance of biological and pharmaceutical approaches to mental illness.

The book’s historical sweep is broad, ranging from the age of the asylum to the rise of psychopharmacology and the dubious triumphs of “community care.” The essays in Psychiatry and Its Discontents provide a vivid and compelling portrait of the recurring crises of legitimacy experienced by “mad-doctors,” as psychiatrists were once called, and illustrate the impact of psychiatry’s ideas and interventions on the lives of those afflicted with mental illness.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Nature praises the book for its balanced and sceptical chronicle of mental illness medicalisation, highlighting Scull's critique of psychiatry's failures and his awareness of human suffering. The Times Literary Supplement notes some repetition but commends the lively writing, impressive scholarship, and thorough examination of scandals. Medical Health News describes it as a lucid mix of biography and historiography, while Social Service Review acknowledges Scull's encyclopedic knowledge of psychiatry.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780520383135

Publisher: University of California Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 08 June 2021

Country: United States

Imprint: University of California Press

Illustration: 10 b-w figures

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 544g

Pages: 376

About the Author

Andrew Scull is Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology and Science Studies at the University of California, San Diego. He is past president of the Society for the Social History of Medicine and the author of numerous books, including Madness in Civilization, Hysteria, and others.

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