The purpose of this page is to bring to the visitor an introduction to the writings of Dr David Cooper, his discoveries and criticisms in and of the field of Mental Health. It was David Cooper who coined the term Anti-Psychiatry and who first outlined the Psycho-Dynamics of Schizophrenia.
This page should not be treated as a substitute to reading the original works but rather as an online outline to his work. His writings include: "Reason & Violence" with R. D. Lang, "Psychiatry Anti-Psychiatry" "The Death of the Family", "The Grammar of Living" and "The Language of Madness"
To understand Anti-Psychiatry one has to first understand Psychiatry. Psychiatry is primarily a social institution which removes from society the "mentally ill and attempts to subdue their symptoms using drugs. Patients are diagnosed, labeled and drugged. Emphasis is on "Normalization". The suppression of difference, originality and vision - Conformism - making obedient robots that do not create anxiety in others.
Anti-Psychiatry emphasis is on making the individual whole. Diagnosis and analysis are replaced by uncritical listening. Labeling is replaced by witnessing the individual as an individual. Anti psychiatry tries to reverse the rules of the Psychiatric game.
Eric Setz wrote this page 5th May 2005. Last modified 15th October 2006.
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