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Desperate Remedies

Psychiatry and the Mysteries of Mental Illness

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Brought to you by Penguin.

For more than two hundred years, disturbances of reason, cognition and emotion - the sort of things that were once called 'madness' - have been described and treated by the medical profession. Mental illness, it is said, is an illness like any other - a disorder that can treated by doctors, whose suffering can be eased, and from which patients can return. And yet serious mental illness remains a profound mystery that is in some ways no closer to being solved than it was at the start of the twentieth century.

In this clear-sighted and provocative exploration of psychiatry, acclaimed sociologist Andrew Scull traces the history of its attempts to understand and mitigate mental illness: from the age of the asylum and unimaginable surgical and chemical interventions, through the rise and fall of Freud and the talking cure, and on to our own time of drug companies and antidepressants. Through it all, Scull argues, the often vain and rash attempts to come to terms with the enigma of mental disorder have frequently resulted in dire consequences for the patient.

Deeply researched and lucidly conveyed, Desperate Remedies masterfully illustrates the assumptions and theory behind the therapy, providing a definitive new account of psychiatry's and society's battle with mental illness.

© Andrew Scull 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

 History History & Philosophy Mental Health Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science Health Thought-Provoking Medicine

Critic reviews

This fascinating picture of psychiatry since 1900 is absolutely essential, deeply felt and absorbing
An erudite, precise and impassioned history of 200 years of psychiatry ... five stars
The chilling truth about mental illness: opportunists, asylums and big pharma - there are few heroes in this enraging study of a great failing. Fascinating
Desperate Remedies, which tells the story of mental illness over the past two centuries, is meticulously researched and beautifully written, and even funny at times, despite the serious content
A vital rallying cry. Scull convincingly conveys the long search for a better take on mental disorder
A blistering critique. Scull's arguments are passionately delivered and while some might sound radical, they also have common sense
An indisputable masterpiece...a comprehensive, fascinating, and persuasive narrative of the past 200 years of psychiatry. Scull is unsparing in his critiques when motives of money, power, and fame have tempted psychiatrists to disregard the welfare of those under their care.
I would recommend this fascinating, alarming and alerting book to anybody. For anyone referred to a psychiatrist it is surely essential
Brimming with wisdom and brio, this masterful work spans the history of modern psychiatric practice, from the abject horrors of Victorian asylums to the complexities surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness to this day. Exceedingly well-researched, wide-ranging, provocative in its conclusions, and magically compact, it is riveting from start to finish. Mark my words, Desperate Remedies will soon be a classic.
Desperate Remedies is a harrowing, heart-pounding history that will leave you gasping. Andrew Scull vividly transports us to the dismal asylums and experimental operating rooms that haunt psychiatry's past and then links that tragic era with our prescription-happy present. Dryly witty, but always compassionate, he shines a light on a century of medical mayhem and the horror it inflicted on the innocent. This is a riveting, powerful and utterly astonishing read.
All stars
Most relevant
This book is recommended and part of my psychology degree . Great historical in-site . Well read

Psychology students

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one of thebest nonfiction books. i have now obtained a hard copy for the notes that contribute. i spent a sort time during nursing training in an asylum before the sufferers where thrown out for 'community care' - homeless ana uncared for. I don't know which was worse but the tax burden fell. The statistics of psycho pharma are astounding. How did we survive and cope before the 1970-80s?

enlightening

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More history than sociology, this detailed account of the history of psychiatry in the US makes painful listening. Overconfident practitioners offer desperate treatments convinced of the effectiveness of their treatment only for it to be rejected by the next decade in place of something equally destructive. Removal of any part of the body which might be harbouring infection, very prolonged frequent doses of ECT or lobotomy (the youngest patient was four years old) are part of this recurring nightmare. Followed by a history of the rivalry between a more biological rather than psychoanalytical approach takes us into the era of psychopharmacology which he reveals does not have the objectivity which the phrase “evidence based medicine“ from double blind trials might suggest.
I am not anti-psychiatry (I have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, I’ve had three courses of ECT and take quite a lot of medication which I believe is helpful most of the time). But this book reveals how far is psychiatry has to go before it can really claim to be a branch of medicine based upon proper understanding of the causes of its pathology. As a UK listener I was grateful that I don’t live in the US where the care for people with severe mental health problems is obviously extremely poor. If you have any interest in mental health and psychiatry in particular I would strongly recommend this book. Having “enjoyed” this historical narrative I would have liked a bit more sociology in terms of trying to understand how that history has been possible.

Horrible history of psychiatry

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Excellent account of the failed mass experiments that make up the shabby history of psychiatry

Great Sociological Account

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