Humanist Psychiatry, 2nd Edition

Humanism is an optimistic philosophy that believes in the scientific process, human worth and dignity, and the ability of humankind to solve its problems no matter how complicated. “Humanist Psychiatry, 2nd Edition” is not about the practice of psychiatry, but rather about how the field is conceptualized, organized, and propelled forward. Despite the huge advances in the neurosciences in the last 30 to 40 years, the practice of psychiatry has remained stagnant except for a few newer and safer medications. This book is an outcry for all who care about human suffering in any form but particularly in the form of psychiatric disorders. The principle of worth and dignity does not place a price, nor take into consideration, the cost of taking care of human beings. Psychiatric disorders remain devastatingly widespread, under-recognized and under-treated worldwide. Psychiatric disorders are among the most common causes for disability and lost productivity. Psychiatric patients have lives that are 15 to 20 years shorter than mentally healthy populations. Advances in neuroscience research clearly and overwhelmingly point to the eventual unraveling of the mysteries of the brain. We, in psychiatry, cannot wait the decades it will take to fully understand the brain. The term “mental” embodies the duality of mind-brain or mental-physical. Doing away with this duality is our first step to burying stigma and relegating it to medical history. “Humanist Psychiatry” begins by summarizing the humanist principles, then discusses how the biology principle should guide advances in psychiatric research and how psychiatry research could be organized. The book addresses issues of education and practice from a humanist’s viewpoint. The book then goes into more specific areas of practice, like correctional and addiction psychiatry, discussing how practice adhering to the humanist principles would impact the field. The current edition of Humanist Psychiatry deals with controversial issues like drug legalization and whether psychiatry should have its own school instead of being a branch of medicine. Finally, the book discusses the issue of stigma and how humanism can help speed up the dissipation of the stigma associated with psychiatric disorders. The 2nd edition of Humanist Psychiatry has widened its scope to address all professionals working in the field, such as social workers, psychologists and addiction therapists in addition to all those who care about the issue of psychiatric disorders from community organizers to legislators.