Postpsychiatry: Mental Health in a Postmodern World

Abstract

Reviews the book, Postpsychiatry. Mental Health in a Postmodern World by Patrick Bracken and Philip Thomas (2005). At the core of the authors' thesis is a critique of what they see as the negative consequences of the European Enlightenment. While keen to acknowledge the successes of the legacy of the Age of Reason, they also wish to expose its limitations. Modern psychiatry has its origins in the Enlightenment, whose leading thinkers held that reason would solve the problems of humanity and unlock the mysteries of the mind. This, in the authors' view, has led to the inappropriate application of 'scientific' technologies to the mad and distressed. The entire book seeks to stimulate debate, and one gains the impression that the authors would be disappointed if they did not provoke some discord. Enough has probably been said to indicate that this book provides an engaged and, at times, provocative critique of the current state of psychiatry. As such, it deserves a wide readership. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)