Psychiatry and Its Discontents - by Andrew Scull (Paperback)

Psychiatry and Its Discontents is a comprehensive and thought-provoking book that delves into the history of psychiatry, exploring its rise, fall, and current state.

Written by renowned historian Andrew Scull, this book provides a critical perspective on the field, tracing its evolution from the age of asylums to the present day.

With a focus on the impact of psychiatry's ideas and interventions on those afflicted with mental illness, Scull sheds light on the recurring crises of legitimacy experienced by "mad-doctors." The book features a collection of previously published material gathered from diverse sources, providing a vivid and compelling portrait of psychiatry's history.

Scull chronicles the medicalization of mental illness with balance and skepticism, offering trenchant critiques of psychiatry's failures, including prefrontal lobotomy and "care in the community." He is also eloquent on diagnosis debates and ever aware of the human suffering at the heart of his chronicle. With an enthralling narrative that will shock, enrage, and entertain readers, Psychiatry and Its Discontents is an essential read for historians, social scientists, practitioners, and patients alike.

Andrew Scull's deep historical knowledge of neurology, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, neuroscience, and psychology provides unparalleled insight into the complex space where history, sociology, social policy, and ethics meet.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in learning about the fraught history of psychiatry and its ongoing impact on mental health treatment.