Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A broad-ranging history of psychiatry, examining trends in how mental diseases are increasingly less stigmatized as we acknowledge that so often the sufferer is innocent.Even today, English offers a rich lexicon of stigmatizing terms in the semantic domain of mental illnessone bit of evidence, writes cultural anthropologist Grinker, that stigma isnt in our biology; its in our culture. Given its cultural locus, we can alter our behavior to use less alienating language, and, as the author illustrates, in some instances we have, especially regarding other illnesses. As we learned about HIV/AIDS, for example, the fear and secretivenessbegan to decrease, even as obituaries now acknowledge the once-whispered term cancer and even suicide. Grinker, a professor of anthropology and international affairs, comes from a long line of psychiatrists and was brought up to believe that everyone suffers from some sort of mental illness at some point in life. Given its universality, the discredited identity that often accompanies mental illness is misplaced. The author offers an agile history of mental health and efforts to control it. For example, the Puritans of New England believed that anyone without reason needed to be controlled as if an animal, a category that included not just the mentally ill, but also babies. It was not until the 19th century that the realization became widespread that the mentally ill could be treated rather than merely punished. Interestingly, Grinker observes in his anecdotally rich narrative, many advances in psychiatric treatment came by way of military medicine, with so many soldiers shattered by the horrors of conflict. Indeed, it was the U.S. Armys medical manual for mental disorders that formed the basis of the first DSM in 1952, a volume that represented a marriage of military experience and psychoanalytical theory. A highly readable, thoughtful study of how we perceive and talk about mental illnesswith luck, ever more respectfully. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A broad-ranging history of psychiatry, examining trends in how mental diseases are increasingly less stigmatized as we acknowledge that so often “the sufferer is innocent.” Even today, English offers a rich lexicon of stigmatizing terms in the semantic domain of mental illness—one bit of evidence, writes cultural anthropologist Grinker, that “stigma isn’t in our biology; it’s in our culture.” Given its cultural locus, we can alter our behavior to use less alienating language, and, as the author illustrates, in some instances we have, especially regarding other illnesses. As we learned about HIV/AIDS, for example, “the fear and secretiveness…began to decrease,” even as obituaries now acknowledge the once-whispered term cancer and even suicide. Grinker, a professor of anthropology and international affairs, comes from a long line of psychiatrists and was brought up to believe that everyone suffers from some sort of mental illness at some point in life. Given its universality, the “discredited identity” that often accompanies mental illness is misplaced. The author offers an agile history of mental health and efforts to control it. For example, the Puritans of New England “believed that anyone without reason” needed to be controlled as if an animal, a category that included not just the mentally ill, but also babies. It was not until the 19th century that the realization became widespread that the mentally ill could be treated rather than merely punished. Interestingly, Grinker observes in his anecdotally rich narrative, many advances in psychiatric treatment came by way of military medicine, with so many soldiers shattered by the horrors of conflict. Indeed, it was the U.S. Army’s medical manual for mental disorders that formed the basis of the first DSM in 1952, a volume that represented “a marriage of military experience and psychoanalytical theory.” A highly readable, thoughtful study of how we perceive and talk about mental illness—with luck, ever more respectfully. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Anthropologist Grinker accomplishes a nifty literary trick with this thoughtful study of the history of stigmatizing mental illness. As the direct descendant of three generations of psychiatrists and as someone who studies mental health, he writes, accordingly, with expected pathos and intelligence on the subject. The surprise is the degree to which this thoroughly researched narrative is so engrossing and, indeed, even enthralling as Grinker shares both the history of treating the mentally ill (the word hysteria comes up) and his own personal travels around the world witnessing the societal acceptance or estrangement of those afflicted by mental disorders. By occasionally injecting stories of his forebears into his account, he grounds his story in the personal, but there is so much more here (his coverage of the Kellogg brothers alone is startling), including how economics, military prowess, gender bias, and racism became embedded in medical treatment decisions. The author’s dedication to his subject is clear, and his smartly crafted prose sings as he writes of dark and disturbing medical choices. A superb and important work of nonfiction.

Library Journal
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With the eye of an anthropologist and a family legacy of psychiatry, Grinker explores how the contemporary United States came to its current understanding of mental illness and what is considered "normal." The words we use and the structures we impose have changed throughout time and place, and stigma surrounding mental illness varies widely and evolves as doctors change the terms they use. While stigma around mental illness has decreased in some ways over the past decades, Grinker makes a provocative case that we still suffer from a mid-century invention of "normal," and that we assume pathologies as a way of explaining physical manifestation of symptoms rather than accepting that mental health and our lived experience affect our overall health. While the content and arguments are illuminating, Grinker's framing device adds useful drama and context. As he describes the experiences of his great-grandfather and grandfather in early psychoanalysis and psychology of soldiers, he highlights the history of psychology in the 20th century, as well as explicating a complicated family relationship (down to his daughter who has autism) that mirrors overall social trends. VERDICT An excellent overview for those interested in medical history or psychology, and also of interest to memoir and family history readers.—Margaret Heller, Loyola Univ. Chicago Libs.

Publishers Weekly
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Grinker (Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism), an anthropology professor at George Mason University, examines modern ideas around mental illness in this impactful book. He proposes that “mental illness and stigma were born together” of capitalism, under which the mentally ill were understood in opposition to the “ideal modern worker.” As a result, up until WWI, the insane were considered unfit for society; the war, however, exposed the general population to the idea that even brave men could be diagnosed with problems such as shell shock or neurasthenia. Grinker then looks at the development of medical means for treating mental illness over the 20th century, resulting in both effective and ineffective measures, such as, respectively, electroconvulsive therapy and lobotomies. He also includes some family history—his grandfather was psychoanalyzed by Freud and later became a famous psychoanalyst himself. Readers sympathetic to Grinker’s concern for the mentally ill will find an enlightening brief for the positions that “both normality and abnormality are fictional lands” and that the idea of a mental health spectrum leads to more humane care than strictly drawn divisions between the mentally healthy and unhealthy. This book will fascinate anyone drawn to the subjects of mental illness, psychology, and psychiatry. (Jan.)