Saving Normal

An Insider's Revolt Against Out-of-Control Psychiatric Diagnosis, DSM-5, Big Pharma, and the Medicalization of Ordinary Life

By: Allen Frances

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Paperback | 12 August 2014

At a Glance

Paperback
352 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
25.7 x 17 x 4.7

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$37.75

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Ups and downs, stresses, disappointments, sorrows, and setbacks are a normal part of being human. Yet millions of people who are really no more than “worried well” are being diagnosed with mental disorders and receiving unnecessary treatment. Allen Frances—“the most powerful psychiatrist in America” (New York Times) and “the man who wrote the book on mental illness” (Wired)—warns that mislabeling everyday problems as mental illness has shocking implications for individuals and society.

Masterfully charting the history of psychiatric fads throughout history, he implores us to save normal, preserve diversity, and achieve a more rational allocation of scarce resources for individuals who truly need help.

“A fascinating, sometimes disturbing, account of the apparent explosion in psychiatric disorders in the United States. What makes this exposé startling is the fact that Frances was once the most influential psychiatrist in the country, as head of the task force that compiled the last edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). In this extraordinarily candid and important book, Frances tells us how this monster of psychiatric overdiagnosis and overtreatment grew, and makes the case for ‘saving normal.’”—Marcia Angell, M.D., senior lecturer in social Medicine, Harvard Medical school, and former editor in chief, New England Journal of Medicine

Industry Reviews

"With Solomon-like wisdom, Frances justly doles out blame and offers reasonable remedies. His decree: don't medicalize human difference; celebrate it."--Booklist (starred review)
"Saving Normal is a clear, convincing, and essential discussion of the twin epidemics facing modern psychiatry: under-treatment of the truly ill and overtreatment of the basically well. It holds immense potential to improve patients' lives."--JOSH BAZELL, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of Beat the Reaper: A Novel
"Saving Normal is a riveting and important book, written with great flair and precise passion. This is a book every psychiatrist, every general practitioner, every student swallowing meds--in fact everyone--needs to read."--Dr. LISA APPIGNANESI, Chair of the Freud Museum, London, and author of Mad, Bad and Sad
"An extraordinarily candid and important book. Allen Frances has written a fascinating account of the apparent explosion in psychiatric disorders in the United States.--MARCIA ANGELL, M. D., Senior Lecturer in Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and former Editor-in-Chief, New England Journal of Medicine

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