Szasz

• Key points

  • Mental illness is a myth, not a disease that can be scientifically proven.
  • Medical model is now the only way of dealing with people who behave differently.
  • Government decides what illnesses exist, control all regulation and funding.
  • Mental hospitals are more like prisons to control people's’ behaviour.
  • Economic issues – big business in pharmaceuticals and treatments to treat mentally ill.
• Key points pt 2

  • Mentally ill people are actively trying to cope in the world using whatever coping mechanisms they can. They are not passive players to biological forces.
  • People are being deprived of the freedom to behave in the way they choose on the grounds  of having a disease. This also has implications for ‘insanity’ as a defence.
  • We need to try to understand the reasons for a person’s actions by respecting, understanding and helping them, not diagnosing under a loose fitting definition.
• Szasz's reasoning that the medical model is unacceptable

  • The causes of mental illness: there is no identifiable cause like an infection, or nutritional deficiency. It is a way of coping. It is a mistake to keep looking for biological causes.
  • No alternative legal approach – government has become involved. Mental illness is not based on scientific research.
  • It denies people freedom and responsibility to choose how to behave. They are coerced and forced into diagnosis and treatment. This is unethical.
• Reasons Szasz give for medical model being unacceptable pt 2

  • Diagnosis is subjective, not based on scientific assessment. Mental illness is judging the ‘bad’ behaviour of people.
  • Medical model is dehumanising, ignores suffering of person. Labels are constructed due to medicalisation of disturbed behaviour.
  • Medical model has replaced religious view of mental suffering.
  • Alternative ways – understanding the patient, help them help themselves. Medical treatments do not work, only suppress symptoms.
• In the Medical Model, someone with symptoms of schizophrenia might seem to have abnormal behaviour. They may be hospitalised without consent by law if they are dangerous to themselves or others. They'll be diagnosed with the illness that closely resembles their symptoms based on DSM (or ICD). After diagnosis drugs will be given to suppress symptoms, it may be without patients consent.


  Szasz suggests that the patient presents themselves for help if they feel they need it. Talking therapies to help understand their behaviour and help them to help themselves would be on offer.