Psychiatry and the Business of Madness : An Ethical and Epistemological Accounting

Psychiatry And The Business Of Madness Deconstructs Psychiatric Discourse And Practice, Exposes The Self-interest At The Core Of The Psychiatric/psychopharmacological Enterprise, And Demonstrates That Psychiatry Is Epistemologically And Ethically Irredeemable. Burstow's Medical And Historical Research And In-depth Interviews Demonstrate That The Paradigm Is Untenable, That Psychiatry Is Pseudo-medicine, That The Treatments Do Not Correct Disorders But Cause Them. Burstow Fundamentally Challenges Our Right To Incarcerate Or Otherwise Subdue Those We Find Distressing. She Invites The Reader To Rethink How Society Addresses These Problems, And Gives Concrete Suggestions For Societal Transformation, With Services Grounded In The Community. A Compelling Piece Of Scholarship, Impeccable In Its Logic, Unwavering In Its Moral Commitment, And Revolutionary In Its Implications. Introduction To The Study : Unveiling The Problematic -- The Evolution Of Madness : A Journey Through Time -- Modernity (1890-2014) : A Journey Through Time, Part Two -- Probing The Boss Text : The Dsm : What? Whither? How? Which? -- The Beast/in The Belly Of The Beast : Pinioned By Paper -- The Psychiatric Team -- Marching To Pharmageddon : Psychopharmacy Unmasked -- Electroshock : Not A Healing Option -- Dusting Ourselves Off And Starting Anew. Bonnie Burstow. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Psychiatry and the Business of Madness deconstructs psychiatric discourse and practice, exposes the self-interest at the core of the psychiatric/psychopharmacological enterprise, and demonstrates that psychiatry is epistemologically and ethically irredeemable. Burstow's medical and historical research and in-depth interviews demonstrate that the paradigm is untenable, that psychiatry is pseudo-medicine, that the 'treatments' do not 'correct' disorders but cause them. Burstow fundamentally challenges our right to incarcerate or otherwise subdue those we find distressing. She invites the reader to rethink how society addresses these problems, and gives concrete suggestions for societal transformation, with "services" grounded in the community. A compelling piece of scholarship, impeccable in its logic, unwavering in its moral commitment, and revolutionary in its implications."--Publisher's information Psychiatry and the Business of Madness deconstructs psychiatric discourse and practice, exposes the self-interest at the core of the psychiatric/psychopharmacological enterprise, and demonstrates that psychiatry is epistemologically and ethically irredeemable. Burstow's medical and historical research in in-depth interviews demonstrate that the paradigm is untenable, that psychiatry is pseudo-medicine, that the "treatments" do not "correct" disorders but cause them. Burstow fundamentally challenges our right to incarcerate or otherwise subdue those we find distressing. She invites the reader to rethink how society addresses these problems, and gives concrete suggestions for societal transformation, with "services" grounded in the community. A compelling piece of scholarship, impeccable in its logic, unwavering in its moral commitment, and revolutionary in its implications. -- from back cover Based on extensive research, this book is a fundamental critique of psychiatry that examines the foundations of psychiatry, refutes its basic tenets, and traces the workings of the industry through medical research and in-depth interviews.