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Sexy But Psycho

How the Patriarchy Uses Women’s Trauma Against Them
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( 837 ratings, 145 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
Sexy But Psycho by Dr Jessica Taylor challenges the societal and professional tendency to pathologise and sexualise women and girls. Drawing on decades of research, case studies, and new data, the book critically examines how women are often labelled with personality disorders for displaying anger related to oppression and abuse. Dr Taylor argues that many women have been misled into believing they are mentally ill when they are simply reacting naturally to their experiences, highlighting the broader issue of society avoiding the reality of violence and trauma against women.
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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 book is ideal for readers interested in gender studies, mental health, social justice, and feminist critiques of medical and psychological practices.

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The new book from the bestselling author of Why Women Are Blamed for Everything.

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

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

Angry, opinionated, mouthy, aggressive, hysterical, mad, disordered, crazy, psycho, delusional, borderline, hormonal . . . Women have long been pathologised, locked up and medicated for not conforming to whichever norms or stereotypes are expected of them in that time and space. Sexy But Psycho is a challenging and uncomfortable book which seeks to explore the way professionals and society at large pathologise and sexualise women and girls.

Utilising decades of research, real case studies and new data from her own work, Dr Taylor's book critically analyses the way we label women with personality disorders. Why are women and girls pathologised for being angry about oppression and abuse? How have so many women been duped into believing that they are mentally ill for having normal and natural reactions to their experiences?

Sexy But Psycho argues that there is a specific purpose to convincing women and girls that they are mentally ill, as the world avoids addressing violence against women and their centuries of ignored trauma.

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?

Praised for its fierce and fearless critique, the book has been described as having moments of brilliance and revealing misogyny within the medical model. Reviews note its compelling message about the importance of genuinely listening to women's experiences, as highlighted by the Irish Independent, Irish Examiner, and Independent.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781472135513

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 February 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Constable

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 124.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 300g

Pages: 384

About the Author

Dr Jessica Taylor is a Chartered Psychologist, multi-Sunday Times bestselling author, and internationally recognised expert in victimology, trauma, and forensic psychology. Jessica has a PhD in Forensic Psychology from University of Birmingham and in 2019, she was awarded a Fellowship of Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) for her contribution to feminism and psychology. In 2023, she was awarded the Associate Fellowship of the British Psychological Society (AFBPsS) to recognise her contribution to the field of psychology.

Her first book, Why Women are Blamed for Everything was published with Little, Brown in 2020. Her second book, Sexy But Psycho: Uncovering the psychiatric labelling of women and girls was published in 2022, and became a Sunday Times bestseller. In 2023, Jessica co-authored The Indicative Trauma Impact Manual with Jaimi Shrive, completing the first comprehensive textbook A-Z of trauma responses and coping mechanisms. In 2024, her memoir, Underclass: A Memoir was released, and became her second book to hit the Sunday Times bestseller list.

Dr Jessica Taylor appears frequently in the media as a victim psychologist and academic speaker for documentaries such as BBC's Womanhood and ITV's When Nudes are Stolen and Celebrity Health Stories, regular radio, podcasts and TV interviews, as well as the #1 trending Netflix true crime series such as My Lover, My Killer and Meet, Marry, Murder. Jessica has also written numerous op-ed pieces for the Independent and the Guardian. She is a spirited and influential academic utilising social media to share her ideas and views, with half a million followers across her platforms.

As CEO of VictimFocus, she leads the organisation's strategic direction, national influence, and international partnerships. Her work spans the development of evidence-based psychological theory, high-impact resources, service frameworks, and consultancy models used across health, justice, education and social care.

Jessica specialises in anti-pathology, trauma-informed approaches to understanding and responding to trauma and abuse of women and girls, leading projects and lecture series in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and USA.

With a wealth of frontline experience working directly with victims and survivors, Jessica brings a grounded, practice-informed perspective to her research, writing and leadership. A leading voice in the development of trauma-informed, anti-oppressive frameworks for systems and services, she has advised on national policing strategies, government VAWG and mental health policy, and institutional reform in the UK and internationally. Her expertise helps organisations stay

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