Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill by Robert Whitaker

Back in 1998, while doing research for an article, the author discovered some medical studies that revealed that the outcomes for people in the United States with schizophrenia have worsened over the past 25 years. Even more puzzling, the outcomes in the United States and other developed countries are much worse than in the poor countries of the world. Why would that be so? This question provided the impetus for Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill which examines the social and medical history of mental illness in the United States from 1750 to the present day. Assuming that insanity arose from physical causes, American psychiatry tried a variety of therapies such as ice-water baths, insulin-induced coma, electroshock, lobotomy and anti-psychotic drugs (chemical lobotomy according to Whitaker). This horrifying history of treatment did little to help patients but it fattened the pockets of the medical profession and the drug industy. Whitaker believes that the best treatment may be that which the Quakers in York, England used back in the early 1800s; they viewed the mentally ill as brethren, who deserved to be treated with kindness and respect and to enjoy a comfortable bed and healthy food.