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Psychiatry: Coercion as Cure
Thomas Szasz
2007 AD
Thomas Szasz is an atheist libertarian and not a Scientologist. He views schizophrenia as a behaviour choice, rejects all physical etiologies of "insanity" and is opposed to all involuntary commitment to mental hospitals. Thomas Szasz is an honorable warrior for truth whose importance will only be recognized in coming decades.
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Thomas Szasz
Professor of psychiatry emeritus at State University, NY
I have never harbored any patriotic sentiments toward psychiatry. My
aim has been to abolish psychiatric slavery, not reform it." (Coercion as
Cure, Thomas Szasz, 2007 AD, p 12)
"To be sure, as long as we define psychiatry as a medical specialty,
we are compelled to define coercion as care, and the deprivation of liberty
under psychiatric auspices as both the prevention of suicide or homicide
and the provision of therapy. Abolishing psychiatric slavery-that is, the
practice of depriving of persons defined as mental patients of liberty by
incarceration in hospitals-requires stripping the psychiatrist of the
privilege and power to lock up people. Such a change presupposes
recognition and acceptance of the fact that forcibly depriving a person of
liberty is not medical care." (Coercion as Cure, Thomas Szasz, 2007 AD, p
225)
"The fact that it is coercion that sets psychiatry apart from
medicine, and indeed from all other forms of peaceful human endeavors, is
obvious. The law prohibits coerced medical treatment, but permits and
indeed mandates coerced psychiatric treatment. The psychiatrist says that
the mental patient who rejects his help denies that he is ill. I say that
the psychiatrist who uses force to impose diagnoses and treatments on a
person against his will denies that he practices coercion. The central
issue facing psychiatry and our society today is not whether a particular
psychiatric intervention works or does not, whether it helps or harms the
patient, whether it is therapeutic or toxic, whether it prevents suicide or
promotes it. The central issue is whether contact between psychiatrist and
patient is voluntary or involuntary, consensual or coercive. All other
issues are secondary." (Coercion as Cure, Thomas Szasz, 2007 AD, p 226)
"Madness and its synonyms are fuzzy terms. It is clear, however,
that mad persons are unwanted persons and that we use the term broadly to
refer to abnormal, unwanted behavior." As a rule, a person behaves "madly"
for reasons of his own, that is, because of the particular adaptation he
has made to the events that comprise his life." (Coercion as Cure, Thomas
Szasz, 2007 AD, p 24)
By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.
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