Insanity: The Idea and Its Consequences (original) (raw)

The book "Insanity: The Idea and Its Consequences" by Thomas Szasz offers a critical examination of mental illness, positing that it is a metaphor rather than a concrete medical condition. Szasz argues against established psychiatric doctrines, claiming that mental illness serves as a vehicle for self-deception among patients, psychiatrists, and society. The work critiques the psychiatric profession's approaches to treatment and understanding mental illness, emphasizing rather the behavioral assessment model proposed by RA Marafiote in the context of child custody evaluations, which, despite its potential importance, lacks sufficient practical examples and supportive evidence.