The general function of an ideology is to veil the nature of the exercise of
power in a society (any society). Inside societies, there are institutions that
can feed with different intensities the global ideology. The legal system is one
of these institutions. Szasz is right(up to a point) when he points out that the
belief in mental illness justifies the incarceration of the innocent and excuses
the guilty. May be the ideology of the society has a role to play in it(a
confusing role). When an insurance company, in order to gain or save money may
change its rules so that a kind of natural disaster is included or excluded in
premiums. This exercise of power can create insecurity, anxiety, and then
confusion.

Mira, on the one hand, in the message 1902 you say that nowadays law and
psychiatry and on top of that law and somatic diseases are so intertwined that
there is no longer such a thing as voluntary treatment(which according to you is
bad). On the other hand, in message 1906, you say that legislators, insurers,
etc are trying to clarify in order to control the quality and accessibility of
health care. Then I conclude that the supposedly extension of involuntary
treatment in health care is an improvement in quality due to clarification.

Concerning the definition of mental illness, it is not a scientific definition
according to Szasz. A scientific definition connects a word to reality, a real
thing. In that sense, in doing so, Szasz is trying to undermine the credibility
of psychiatry and prevent them to get to much power.

About the norm, either natural or social, i.e. what most people are. Don't try
to set up a red herring. I, am not trying to make anybody conform to anything.
But I know a person suffering from low and another from high blood pressure and
they would prefer to be like most people, i.e. in the norm. In addition, to be
part of a minority is often a thing people like or would like to be, e.g.
Einstein, Mozart, high level athletes, movie stars, etc. I must add also that in
many parts of the world there is more and more acceptance of the minority,
whatever they are. I just take for example the participation of people at the
Paralympics games.

Michel