Women and Madness: Revised and Updated
Women and Madness: Revised and Updated Books
Product Description
Feminist icon Phyllis Cheslers revolutionary work21/2 million copies soldrevised and updated for the first time in over 30 yearsThis definitive book was the first to address critical questions about women and mental health. Combining interviews with patients with an analysis of womens roles in history, society, and myth Chesler concludes that there is a terrible double standard when it comes to womens psychology. In this new edition, she addresses head-on many of the most relevant issues to women and mental health today, including eating disorders, social acceptance of antidepressants, addictions, sexuality, postpartum depression, and more. Women and Madness remains as vital today as it was when first published in 1972.
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Why are so many women labeled (correctly or incorrectly) “mentally ill”. Certainly, there seems to be a double standard as Ms. Chesler attests. But, what are the causes of this double standard? Ms. Chesler attributes it to an oppressive, patriarchal culture. Maybe. What is more likely is a combination of factors that include male aggressiveness and female passivity, both of which are private choices not the responsibility of outside input. Yes, over the millenia, women have chosen to be passive and that “sets the deck” hostile to new generations of women. But, for those females who are cultured passive and not genuinely mentally ill, the ultimate choice lies within themselves not on a psychiatrist’s couch.
Overall, this book was well worth the read, and I would urge it to anyone interested in mental health. Though rare I judge, there are real abuses that take place surrounded by some therapists’ offices, and those abuses, whether they involve women or men, should be exposed and the perpetrators punished. Ms. Chesler should be lauded for bringing up the disparity of the treatment of women versus men in the mental health field. Disregarding private choices is but a fatal mistake in her argument.
Rating: 3 / 5
Dr. Chesler casts her clear eyed thought over the field of psychiatry/psychology and unveils the sexism that underlies the history and the do of the “art.” Who knows how much untold hurt has been caused by those who know small about women as a sex and may possibly care less, as long as they establish their careers? Incorporating the mythology of women as metaphor, Chesler also paints a picture of how we, as women, have paid the price for patriarchal privilege. I read this book 20 years ago, and I just read it again. It was an enjoyable this time as it was then, maybe even more so, with the deeper understanding I have now about the roots of feminism.
The only thing I wish she had addressed in this revised edition is deinstitutionalization and its affects on women. Perhaps another time? Soon?
Rating: 5 / 5