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The Myth of Mental Illness

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Biomedical Ethics and the Law

Abstract

At the core of virtually all contemporary psychiatric theories and practices lies the concept of mental illness. A critical examination of this concept is therefore indispensable for understanding the ideas, institutions, and interventions of psychiatrists.

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References

  1. See Szasz, T. S.: Pain and Pleasure: A Study of Bodily Feelings (New York: Basic Books, 1957), especially pp. 70–81.

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  2. Szasz, T. S.: “The problem of psychiatric nosology.” Amer. J. Psychiatry, 114:405–413 (Nov.), 1957.

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  3. See Szasz, T. S.: The Ethics of Psychoanalysis: The Theory and Method of Autonomous Psychotherapy (New York: Basic Books, 1965).

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  4. See Szasz, T. S.: Law, Liberty, and Psychiatry: An Inquiry into the Social Uses of Mental Health Practices (New York: Macmillan, 1963).

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  5. Peters, R. S.: The Concept of Motivation (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1958), especially pp. 12–15.

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  6. Hollingshead, A. B. and Redlich, F. C.: Social Class and Mental Illness (New York: Wiley, 1958).

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  7. Quoted in Jones, E.: The Life and Work of Sigmund Freud (New York: Basic Books, 1957), Vol. III, p. 247.

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  8. In this connection, see Langer, S. K.: Philosophy in a New Key (1942) (New York: Mentor Books, 1953), especially Chaps. 5 and 10.

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© 1976 Plenum Press, New York

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Szasz, T. (1976). The Myth of Mental Illness. In: Humber, J.M., Almeder, R.F. (eds) Biomedical Ethics and the Law. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-2223-8_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-2223-8_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-2225-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-2223-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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