Contesting Psychiatry: Social Movements in Mental Health

Sociologists have written much about power in relation to psychiatry and mental health services. Until now, however, there has been little research on resistance to this power, whether in the form of individual crusades or the collective efforts of social movements. As a result, a central thread in the social constitution of the mental health system has been overlooked. Contesting Psychiatry explores the history of resistance to psychiatry between 1950 and 2000, and more particularly, the history of the social movements who have mounted this resistance, calling psychiatry into question. Key features include: an account of the key social movements and organizations who have contested psychiatry over the last fifty yearsthe theorization of resistance to psychiatry which might apply to other national contexts and to social movement formation and protest in other medical arenasthe exploration of theories of power in psychiatry Original and provocative in its approach, Contesting Psychiatry offers a new sociological perspective on psychiatry. It is essential reading for students and academics alike and a unique contribution to the sociological understanding of psychiatry and medicine.