Madness and Enterprise: Psychiatry, Economic Reason, and the Emergence of Pathological Value

In the 19th century, psychiatry linked mental illness severity to a patient's economic productivity, viewing some conditions as assets and others as liabilities. This relationship transformed the concept of value in the modern North Atlantic, conflating what is good, healthy, and remunerative. Madness could be converted into an economic form and redeemed, even revered.

Format: Hardback
Length: 344 pages
Publication date: 19 January 2024
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Madness and Enterprise delves into the intricate relationship between pathology and money,spanning from the nineteenth century to the present day. This captivating book explores the economic norms embedded within psychiatric thinking about mental illness in the North Atlantic world. During this time, various forms of madness were subjected to a psychiatric reasoning that was heavily influenced by economic considerations. Psychiatrists across Western Europe and the United States assigned financial and even moral value to a range of pathological conditions, treating some mental disorders as valuable assets and others as burdensome economic liabilities. By examining economic behavior and assessing whether potential patients possessed the ability to manage their finances or even generate wealth, psychiatrists could often circumvent diagnostic uncertainties about a person's mental state.

Through a comprehensive exploration of the intertwined histories of psychiatry and economic thought, Nima Bassiri unveils how this relationship fundamentally transformed the concept of value in the modern North Atlantic. This shift occurred as the most common forms of social valuation, including moral value, medical value, and economic value, became intertwined and interchangeable. As a result, a conceptual space emerged where madness itself could be transformed into an economic form, redeemed, and even revered.

This book offers a thought-provoking examination of the complex interplay between mental illness, economics, and societal perceptions. It sheds light on the historical roots of the current healthcare system, where economic considerations play a significant role in determining the treatment and outcomes of mental health conditions. Madness and Enterprise challenges readers to reconsider the way we perceive and understand mental illness, advocating for a more holistic and compassionate approach that recognizes the multifaceted nature of these conditions and their impact on individuals and society as a whole.

Weight: 513g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226830872