The Book of Woe: the DSM and the unmaking of psychiatry - Hardcover

Greenberg, Gary

3.63

687 ratings by Goodreads

9781922247056: The Book of Woe: the DSM and the unmaking of psychiatry

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1922247057 ISBN 13: 9781922247056

Publisher: Scribe UK, 2013

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A riveting expose of the psychiatric profession's bible that reveals the deeply flawed process by which mental disorders are invented and uninvented - and how suffering has been turned into a commodity. Since its first edition in 1952, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has been regarded as the leading authority on mental-health diagnosis and research. But throughout the DSM's various iterations, debate has raged over which psychological problems constitute mental illness - homosexuality, for instance, was included until 1973, with asperger's gaining recognition in 1994, only to see its status challenged nearly 20 years later. By examining the history of the DSM and the controversies over its latest revisions, psychotherapist Gary Greenberg challenges the status quo of modern psychiatric practice. he shows how difficult - even impossible - it is to rigorously differentiate mental illness from everyday suffering; and he sheds light on how the politics behind mental-health classification has caused diagnosis rates of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and bipolar disorder to skyrocket. Drawing on interviews with people on all sides of the debate, on historical examples, and on case studies from his own practice, Greenberg ultimately argues for a more humanistic approach to psychiatry. a combination of lively reportage and biting analysis, The Book of Woe will prove invaluable for expert and casual readers alike.

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Product Description:

The Book of Woe reveals the deeply flawed process by which mental disorders are invented and un-invented and how suffering has been turned into a commodity. Since its first edition in 1952, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has been regarded as the authority on mental health diagnosis and research. Over the DSM's various iterations, however, debate has raged over which psychological problems constitute mental illness: homosexuality, for instance, was a mental illness until 1973; and Asperger's gained recognition in 1994 only to see its status challenged nearly twenty years later. By examining the history of the DSM and the controversies over its latest revisions, Greenberg challenges the status quo of modern psychiatric practice. He shows how difficult it is - even impossible - to rigorously differentiate mental illness from everyday suffering, and sheds light on how the politics behind mental-health classification has caused diagnosis rates of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder,and bipolar disorder to skyrocket

Review:

'Greenberg is a practicing psychotherapist who writes with the insight of a professional and the panache of a literary journalist ... [a] brilliant take-down of the psychiatric profession ... The Book of Woe offers a lucid and useful history of classification attempts in psychiatry.' --Julia M. Klein Chicago Tribune

'In this passionate, partisan outpouring, psychotherapist Gary Greenberg does a demolition job on psychiatry's quest for credibility and it reliance on questionable definitions and medication ... Verdict: eye-opening' Herald Sun 'Bright, humorous, and seriously thoroughgoing, Greenberg takes all the DSMs for a spin as revealing as the emperor's new clothes.' --Kirkus Reviews

'The rewriting of the bible of psychiatry shakes the field to its foundations in this savvy, searching expose.' --Publishers Weekly

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