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The people versus psychiatry
Journal article

The people versus psychiatry

Thomas G Burns and Arthur M Nezu
Contemporary psychology, v 41(4), pp 326-327
01 Apr 1996
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/002853

Abstract

Human Professional Ethics Psychiatry
In Cruel Compassion: Psychiatric Control of Society's Unwanted (see record 1994-97524-000), Szasz takes psychiatry (and society's acceptance of its validity) to task by characterizing mental health treatment as cruel. Focusing on society's "unwanted", he vociferously argues his case by offering a plethora of statistical references to support his contention that involuntary treatment of such individuals, including psychiatric patients, is an ethical and moral dilemma that does not (and should not) fit into the medical model. In Crazy All the Time: Life, Lessons, and Insanity on the Psych Ward of Bellevue Hospital (see record 1994-97351-000), Covan attempts to answer the question, What can psychiatry accomplish on an inpatient ward in a state hospital? The reader follows the experiences of a supervisor of eight clinical psychology interns at Bellevue Hospital in New York. Potentially appealing to psychology trainees is Covan's approach--his story unfolds like a novel and provides an accurate view of an intern's experience in a state psychiatric facility. Despite the day-to-day trials and tribulations that a clinical psychologist encounters in the hospital, Covan manages to portray this ordeal in a humorous light. The questions posed by Szasz and Covan are of great significance to the experienced practitioner, the student in training, as well as society at large. Both works are excellent in their ability to make the reader think and evaluate how they feel about current mental health practice. Moreover, readers will find themselves reflecting on these books far beyond the initial reading. In this sense, both authors are successful in evoking pragmatic thought, which may (hopefully) set the stage for future creative problem solving. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

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