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Creating Mental Illness
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 150
EAN: 9780226353821
ISBN: 0226353826
Label: University Of Chicago Press
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 315
Publication Date: September 01, 2003
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
Studio: University Of Chicago Press
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Editorial Review:
In this surprising book, Allan V. Horwitz argues that our current conceptions of mental illness as a disease fit only a small number of serious psychological conditions and that most conditions currently regarded as mental illness are cultural constructions, normal reactions to stressful social circumstances, or simply forms of deviant behavior. "Thought-provoking and important. . .Drawing on and consolidating the ideas of a range of authors, Horwitz challenges the existing use of the term mental illness and the psychiatric ideas and practices on which this usage is based. . . . Horwitz enters this controversial territory with confidence, conviction, and clarity."—Joan Busfield, American Journal of Sociology
"Horwitz properly identifies the financial incentives that urge therapists and drug companies to proliferate psychiatric diagnostic categories. He correctly identifies the stranglehold that psychiatric diagnosis has on research funding in mental health. Above all, he provides a sorely needed counterpoint to the most strident advocates of disease-model psychiatry."—Mark Sullivan, Journal of the American Medical Association "Horwitz makes at least two major contributions to our understanding of mental disorders. First, he eloquently draws on evidence from the biological and social sciences to create a balanced, integrative approach to the study of mental disorders. Second, in accomplishing the first contribution, he provides a fascinating history of the study and treatment of mental disorders. . . from early asylum work to the rise of modern biological psychiatry."—Debra Umberson, Quarterly Review of Biology
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - superb for classroom use
"Creating Mental Illness" provides an excellent account of how mental disorders are defined, diagnosed and treated, as well as how and why the criteria for them have changed so much over time. I used this book in an upper-level undergraduate course on mental health & policy and my students thoroughly enjoyed it. Very well written and organized, "Creating Mental Illness" is that rare book that is both pleasurable to read and educational. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more ... Read More
Rating: - Overheard in a Mental Hospital
I was working the BiPolar shift in the cafeteria of the local mental hospital and overheard this and wanted to share it with you. Bernard Lumbert, orthopolar designate
1st Dr. "So Carl, I see you have finished "Creating Mental Illness" by Alan Horwitz?" (The author spells his name with two "l's" I noted but then I am delusional and observe things others miss)
2nd Dr. "Yes Sig, Enjoyed it very much. A pretty good read." (He would probably fake an orgasm, I mused, all reviewers say ... Read More
Rating: - A sociologist looks at the mental health professions
Dr. Horwitz provides in this book a well researched assessment of the current state of affairs of the mental health system, primarily in America. He discusses the growth of the number of accepted mental disorders from only a few (around 1900) to somewhere around 500 (DSM-IV, for instance). Much of this growth seems to be attributable to efforts to get third-party payers (generally insurance companies) to pay for treatment.
Horwitz presents plenty of evidence and argument about how clinical ... Read More
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