Doctoring the mind : is our current treatment of mental illness really any good? /

The treatment of mental-health problems has taken a decidedly biological approach over the last 25 to 30 years--an approach that emphasizes genetics and brain chemistry, and has seemed successful. And yet mental-health disorders remain among the least effectively treated health problems. Recent research suggests that people with serious mental-health problems in developing countries fare better than those in developed countries. Why should this be? The answers are unclear, complex, and most likely in part related to social and environmental factors. Bentall (Univ. of Bangor, Wales ) raises important questions about whether current therapies for psychological problems are effective--and whether the patient is being well served. His critique of psychiatric care is balanced, insightful, and challenging. He also presents a valuable account of the history of caring for individuals with mental illness and makes a case for using more evidence-based therapies. Emphasizing patient-centered care within an active patient-therapist relationship, the author thinks the value and usefulness of psychiatric diagnoses are overrated and encourages the reader to see mental illness as more than a brain disease or genetic defect. This exploration of the politics/economics of psychiatric care causes one to rethink the care of those with mental-health problems. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. R. L. Jones emeritus, Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine

Clinical and research psychologist Bentall (Madness Explained: Psychosis and Human Nature) studies the effectiveness of different treatments for schizophrenic and bipolar disorders. In this thorough research overview, Bentall concludes that the "medical approach" is "fatally flawed," and "the way that [psychiatric drugs] are used needs to change radically." In his view, most psychiatric diagnoses fail at predicting the outcome of treatment, particularly drug treatment, because they are based upon faulty assumptions about the genetic basis of psychiatric disorders and a false distinction between schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. Bentall looks at treatment practices and their study over the past century, particularly in the U.K., including a critical examination of twin studies that improperly claim a correlation between the mental health of parents and their adopted children, and in-depth analysis of recent studies that falsely attribute positive effects to anti-psychotic drug treatment while misrepresenting harmful side-effects. This controversial book makes an important contribution to the broader health-care debate regarding mental health and the role of the pharmaceutical industry. (Sept.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.