Mad in America

I didn't put up my weekly one-paragraph book review this weekend because I was hoping to have finished La heredera del mar by now. Unfortunately, I read Spanish very, very slowly, so no go, and I'll have to review a different book.

My weekly one-paragraph book review: Mad in America, by Robert Whitaker.
So, this is about how the mentally ill have been mistreated throughout American history. It starts with the basic 18th-century torture treatments (wet sheet packs, restraints, et cetera), then goes through EST and lobotomy, and ends with antipsychotic drugs. The author is pretty critical of all of these treatments - his argument is that the mentally ill should just be nurtured and cared for. I guess he has a point, but I feel like this whole book is very one-sided. For one thing, not everyone who got lobotomized became completely blorg, and I've read lots of personal accounts of EST that described it as very beneficial. He quotes Sylvia Plath's negative depiction of EST in The Bell Jar, but if you actually read the book, she goes on to say that the first one was just performed incorrectly and when it's done right, EST is just like going to sleep. I'm too lazy to find the quote. But I'm just arguing for argument's sake; nowadays, EST and lobotomies are mostly considered barbaric. My real problem is that Whitaker super-hates antipsychotic drugs. The first time I read his book, I was like, Wow, these medications are terrible, and I thought that until I talked to people who had first-hand experience with them. These people were definitely pro-medication. My conclusion is that Whitaker is being a bitch and he's not telling the whole story. That being said, I do think an integral part of recovery from mental illness is being treated with respect. I suppose he's right about that.

Of course, I really have no experience with psychosis, so it's entirely possible that I have no idea what I'm talking about. I may take a nap soon.