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.
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]
Copyright of American Scholar is the property of Phi Beta Kappa Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: The Twilight Self: Embracing mutability in a world gone mad means understanding how fantasy took hold of American psychiatry.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22American+Scholar%22">American Scholar</searchLink>. Winter2026, Vol. 95 Issue 1, p32-41. 10p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Individuality%22">Individuality</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Diagnosis%22">Diagnosis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Drugs%22">Drugs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+health%22">Mental health</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Identity+%28Psychology%29%22">Identity (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychiatry%22">Psychiatry</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pharmaceutical+industry%22">Pharmaceutical industry</searchLink>
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  Data: 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]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of American Scholar is the property of Phi Beta Kappa Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Individuality
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      – SubjectFull: Diagnosis
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      – SubjectFull: Drugs
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      – SubjectFull: Mental health
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      – SubjectFull: Identity (Psychology)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychiatry
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      – SubjectFull: Pharmaceutical industry
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      – TitleFull: The Twilight Self: Embracing mutability in a world gone mad means understanding how fantasy took hold of American psychiatry.
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              Text: Winter2026
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              Y: 2026
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