Mind Fixers: Psychiatry's Troubled Search for the Biology of Mental Illness

The author of "The Cure Within" explores the history of psychiatry's attempts to understand mental disorders in biomedical terms, highlighting the challenges and controversies that have shaped this field. She argues that the biological revolution promised by Freudians and social scientists did not deliver the expected breakthroughs, and that the field has now fallen into crisis. The book explores a range of social factors that have influenced psychiatrists' biological enthusiasms, including immigration, warfare, grassroots activism, and assumptions about race and gender. It also emphasizes the high human stakes for the millions of people who seek medical answers for their mental suffering.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 02 August 2019
Publisher: WW Norton & Co

In her book Mind Fixers, Anne Harrington delves into the persistent challenges faced by psychiatry in understanding mental disorders through biomedical lenses. She highlights how the stagnation of early twentieth-century efforts in this direction paved the way for Freudians and social scientists to assert their superiority in analyzing and resolving minds. However, Harrington cautions that when the Freudians ventured too far, they inadvertently led psychiatry into a crisis, which was supposed to be resolved by a new "biological revolution."

The book reveals that the biological enthusiasms of psychiatry have been influenced not only by clinical and laboratory advancements but also by a multitude of social factors, such as immigration, warfare, grassroots activism, and assumptions about race and gender. Government initiatives aimed at closing state mental hospitals, intense rivalries among different factions within the field, profit-driven practices by industry players, consumerism, and the influence of the media have all played significant roles in shaping the narrative.

Harrington's book specifically focuses on the quest to uncover the biological origins of schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder. By emphasizing the profound human stakes involved for the millions of individuals seeking medical solutions for their mental anguish, Mind Fixers goes beyond the realm of doctors and scientists. It tells the stories of countless ordinary people and their loved ones, illustrating the ongoing struggle to transform mental illness into a biological problem as a foundation for building a brighter future.

Through a balanced and empathetic approach, Mind Fixers provides a comprehensive account of the past and present endeavors to classify mental illness as a biological condition. It sheds light on the historical developments, scientific breakthroughs, and societal factors that have shaped the field. The book serves as a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and individuals seeking to better understand and address mental health challenges. By acknowledging the complexities and nuances of the past and present, Mind Fixers offers hope for a more compassionate and effective approach to mental health care in the future.

Weight: 616g
Dimension: 163 x 241 x 35 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780393071221