The Twilight Self: Embracing mutability in a world gone mad means understanding how fantasy took hold of American psychiatry.
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| Title: | The Twilight Self: Embracing mutability in a world gone mad means understanding how fantasy took hold of American psychiatry. |
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| Authors: | ALCABES, PHILIP1 |
| Source: | American Scholar. Winter2026, Vol. 95 Issue 1, p32-41. 10p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Individuality, Diagnosis, Drugs, Mental health, Identity (Psychology), Psychiatry, Pharmaceutical industry |
| Abstract: | The article reflects on the author's experiences in a psychiatric unit and critiques the psychiatric system's approach to mental health, particularly the reliance on diagnoses and medications. It discusses the transformation of patients into "empty vessels" awaiting treatment, emphasizing the loss of individuality and the complexity of the human psyche. The author argues that the current psychiatric practices, influenced by pharmaceutical interests, reduce people to mere diagnoses, stripping away the richness of their inner worlds. The piece calls for a recognition of the enigmatic nature of the self and the importance of embracing the complexities of mental health rather than conforming to simplistic categorizations. [Extracted from the article] |
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| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Abstract: | The article reflects on the author's experiences in a psychiatric unit and critiques the psychiatric system's approach to mental health, particularly the reliance on diagnoses and medications. It discusses the transformation of patients into "empty vessels" awaiting treatment, emphasizing the loss of individuality and the complexity of the human psyche. The author argues that the current psychiatric practices, influenced by pharmaceutical interests, reduce people to mere diagnoses, stripping away the richness of their inner worlds. The piece calls for a recognition of the enigmatic nature of the self and the importance of embracing the complexities of mental health rather than conforming to simplistic categorizations. [Extracted from the article] |
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| ISSN: | 00030937 |
