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Abstract

The foremost psychiatric critic of our times, Thomas Szasz, M.D., engages in an in-depth dialogue of his life’s work. He is author of more than 600 articles and 26 books, including the controversial The Myth of Mental Illness, The Ethics of Psychoanalysis, and his most recent work, Pharmacracy: Medicine and Politics in America. Szasz’s steadfast commitment to individual freedom and liberty permeate his commentaries on drug laws, managed care, involuntary hospitalization, and the fragile state of psychotherapy. This interview also explores the nuances of his work on the myth of “mental illness”in light of recent discoveries in neuroscience. Szasz shares personal reflections of his long career, revealing his tenacity in the face of personal and professional attacks, and his genuine passion for humanistic values and social justice.

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References

Szasz, T. S. (1965). The ethics of psychoanalysis: The theory and method of autonomous psychotherapy. New York: Dell Publishing.

Szasz, T. S. (1984). The myth of mental Illness: Foundations of a theory of personal conduct (Rev. ed.). New York: Quill.

Szasz, T. S. (1988). The myth of psychotherapy: Mental healing as religion, rhetoric, and repression. New York: Syracuse University Press.

Szasz, T.S. (1987). Insanity: The idea and its consequences. New York: John Wiley.

Szasz, T. S. (1996). Our right to drugs: The case for a free market. New York: Syracuse University Press.

Szasz, T. S. (2001). Pharmacracy: Medicine and politics in America. New York: Praeger.

The Thomas S. Szasz Cybercenter for Liberty and Responsibility: www.szasz.com

Weinberg, L. S., Szasz, T. S., & Vatz, R. E. (1983). Thomas Szasz: Primary values and major content. New York: Prometheus Books.

Thomas Szasz: Liberty and the Practice of Psychotherapy

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