The Revolt Against Psychiatry

Bonnie Burstow, PhD, is Professor of Adult Education and Community Development at OISE/University of Toronto, one of the world's leading antipsychiatry theorists and activists, and author of such seminal works as Psychiatry and the Business of Madness.

A real eye-opener, this riveting anti/critical psychiatry book is comprised of original cutting-edge dialogues between Burstow (an antipsychiatry theorist and activist) and other leaders in the "revolt against psychiatry," including radical practitioners, lawyers, reporters, activists, psychiatric survivors, academics, family members, and artists. People in dialogue with the author include Indigenous leader Roland Chrisjohn, psychiatrist Peter Breggin, survivor Lauren Tenney, and scholar China Mills. The single biggest focus/tension in the book is a psychiatry abolition position versus a critical psychiatry (or reformist) position. In the scope of this project, Burstow considers the ways racism, genocide, Indigeneity, sexism, media bias, madness, neurodiversity, and strategic activism are intertwined with critical and antipsychiatry.

1. Introduction to This Book and to This Project.- 2. "It Is All About Racism": Dialogue with Indigenous Scholar and Activist Roland Chrisjohn.- 3. "Our Freedom of Speech over our Medical License": Dialogue with The Conscience of Psychiatry"-Peter Breggin.- 4. Dialogue with Journalist Extraordinaire: Robert Whitaker.- 5. Dialogue with Survivor and Academic Lauren Tenney.- 6. On Berlin Runaway House: Dialogue with Wichera.- 7. Toward a Democratic Psychiatry? Dialogue with Ian Parker.- 8. "Activism Is My Real Job": The Mad Movement in Chile Dialogue with Tatiana Castillo .- 9. "There Is No Place on This Planet for Psychiatry Period!": Dialogue with Don Weitz.- 10. Autistic and Mad: Dialogue with Nick Walter.- 11. Dialogue with Indigenous Leader and Psych Survivor Michael.- 12. "This is Not a Time to Lie Low": Dialogue with International Lawyer, Survivor, and Human Rights Advocate Tina Minkowitz.- 13. "I So Loved My Son that I Had to Promise Him that I Had Do Everything that I Could": Dialogue with Mother and Archivist Julie Wood.- 14. Epistemicide: Dialogue with "Global Mental Health" Critic China Mills.- 15. "The Movement Is an Intrinsic Part of Who I Am": Dialogue with Bonnie Burstow.