Dear Martin,

Am only half way through studying Szasz's "The Myth of Mental Illness". I get
the impression that Szasz rejected the medical model of psychiatry, this
reflected in his perception of the "tendency to force psychology into
behaviorism or, that failing, to reduce it to its so-called physical and
chemical basis" (pp.80-1) and yet he shows a very clear link between mental
suffering and physical ailments/illness. If there is no duality, no distinction
between mind and matter, then there can be no distinction between mental
suffering and physical illness. This notion of duality is mere delusion.
However, while the subject may enforce a split between mind and matter, the
subject having chosen a state of disengagement, an alienated state of being, the
subject cannot escape the affect this spilt has upon the physical form. With an
enforced split between mind and matter there is no longer a flow, this flow
ensuing the heal and well-being of the subject.

Does one dare to question, does this enforced split between mind and matter
actually create a literal distinction i.e. two entities. While initial withdrawl
may have been chosen by the subject, the subject now in a disengaged or
alienated state, is there or can there still be a subject in the physical whom
with intention governs the process of change from malingering, to hysteria, to
mental illness.

Kind Regards
Elaine



> ELAINE: the name of Szasz's book is "Schizophrenia The Sacred Symbol of
> Psychiatry", Chapter 2: "Anti-Psychiatry: The Model of the Plundered Mind"
> where Szasz dissected Laing/Cooper's ideas showing the hypocrisy between what
> Laing said and what Laing did. What is interesting is that many "educated"
> commentators on Szasz group him with other anti-psychiatrists. Szasz is not
> an anti-psychiatrist. Szasz has no problem with psychiatry as long it's
> practiced as a free market relationship with no links to the State. That
> means that psychiatrists can not imprison innocent people (called civil
> commitment) and they can not transfer the guilty to a building called a
> hospital.
> Interestingly, Seth Farber's book: Madness, Heresy, and the Rumor of Angels
> mentions several of Szasz's books in his recommended reading, but
> Schizophrenia... is not because Farber liked Laing's ideas and naively
> thought that people who read his book would ignore Szasz's book because it
> wasn't mentioned.
>
> Martin
>
>
>>From: "ELAINE" <lizral@...>
>>Reply-To: thomasszaszdiscussion@yahoogroups.com
>>To: <thomasszaszdiscussion@yahoogroups.com>
>>Subject: [ThomasSzaszDiscussion] Another Book Mentioned
>>Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2007 11:53:12 +1000
>>
>>Someone on this forum had also mentioned the name of a book, at least i
>>think it was on this forum ;))) If i remember rightly the title was
>>something like "Re-seating the Soul". Pleaseeeeeeeeee could someone repost
>>details of the book that was mentioned.
>>
>>Also i would be grateful for suggestions as to books/papers that question
>>whether mental illness is an illness or several illnesses in light of the
>>works of R.D. Laing and Thomas Scasz.
>>
>>Any papers or articles u would be able to forward to me
>>lizral@... or post on the forum would be very greatly
>>appreciated.
>>
>>Kind Regards
>>Elaine
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>
>
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