Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill

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Synopsis
In Mad in America, medical journalist Robert Whitaker reveals an astounding truth: Schizophrenics in the United States fare worse than those in poor countries, and quite possibly worse than asylum patients did in the early nineteenth century. Indeed, Whitaker argues, modern treatments for the severely mentally ill are just old medicine in new bottles and we as a society are deluded about their efficacy. Tracing over three centuries of "cures" for madness, Whitaker shows how medical therapies-from "spinning" or "chilling" patients in colonial times to more modern methods of electroshock, lobotomy, and drugs-have been used to silence patients and dull their minds, deepening their suffering and impairing their hope of recovery. Based on exhaustive research culled from old patient medical records, historical accounts, and government documents, this haunting book raises important questions about our obligations to the mad, what it means to be "insane," and what we value most about the human mind.
Copyright:
2002

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
368 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780786723799
Related ISBNs:
9780738203850
Publisher:
Basic Books
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Robert Whitaker
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
History, Nonfiction, Psychology, Law, Legal Issues and Ethics, Medicine
Grade Levels:
Eighth grade, Ninth grade, Tenth grade, Eleventh grade, Twelfth grade, College Freshman, College Sophomore, College Junior, College Senior, Graduate Student, Undergraduate Student
Reading Age:
13 and up
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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