“I SHOULD LIKE to make clear, therefore, that although I consider the concept of mental illness to be unserviceable, I believe that psychiatry could be a science. I also believe that psychotherapy is an effective method of helping people — not to recover from an “illness,” but rather to learn about themselves, others, and life.

“In sum, then, this is not a book on psychiatry, nor is it a book on the nature of man. It is a book about psychiatry — inquiring, as it does, into what people, but particularly psychiatrists and patients, have done with and to one another. It is also a book about human conduct — since in it observations and hypotheses are offered concerning how people live.”

— Thomas S. Szasz, M.D., The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct, Harper and Row, 1960

— Comments —

Alan writes:

So glad to see you have been reading Thomas Szasz.  He was one of the last of the Renaissance Men.

I discovered his work in 1967 and never recovered.  I heard him speak in Syracuse, New York, in 1971 and in St. Louis in 1974, and treasure a dozen or so letters I received from him.

Just as “mental illness” is a myth, so also is “mental health”.  Not only do neither exist as anything other than metaphor, neither can possibly exist—for the same reason you cannot draw a square circle.  They are nothing more than scientific-sounding substitutes for moral judgment.

“He is mentally ill” means:  I disapprove of him, his conduct, or his ideas.

“He is mentally healthy” means:  I approve of him, his conduct, or his ideas.

Professor Daren Jonescu has written a splendid appreciation of Dr. Szasz and his work [ “The Myths of Mental Illness: A Thomas Szasz Appreciation, Parts One and Two” ] at his site http://darenjonescu.com/.

Laura writes:

Thanks so much.

I’m going to post more excerpts. It’s a fascinating book.

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