 |
 |
A good series - I don't suppose they'll meet the needs of the original request, but the 2 original ones by Mexican cartoonist Rius were Cuba for Beginners and Marx for Beginners - still worth reading if you can find them. Baker Kevin wrote: > David > have you come across the "...For Beginners" books by Writers and Readers > Publishing in the US, and a similar series that used to use the same > title published by Icon Press in the UK with different authors. Icon > Press have now re-issued their books in a series called > "Introducing...". > > Both series of books use a comic-book format - usually much more > accessible and critical than traditional text based books (i.e > 'textbooks') and are therefore usually 'critical' through their format > as well as content. > > I think 'Foucault for Beginners' by Lydia Alix Fillingham (ISBN > 086316160X) would be good, but also possibly bits of 'Postmodernism for > Beginners' by Jim Powell (ISBN 08316188X), and maybe bits of 'Chomsky > for Beginners' too!? > > "Psychiatry for Beginners" by Brider and Castneda (ISBN 0863161669) is > now out of print - but is a good critical read. It includes the Wizard > of Oz (!), and is critical of diagnoses and medical treatment. > > In the Icon Press books, the authors take a slightly different take on > some of the issues - but still worth a look. I think they do their own > comic book verisons of Foucault, Chomsky and possibly postmodernism, but > I'm not sure if they did psychiatry or anti-psychiatry. > > Of course there may be other books using a comic-book approach that > might be accessible while still dealing with important issues. What > about using films too? > > Best wishes > > Kevin Baker > > ________________________________ > > From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List on behalf of David > Fryer > Sent: Tue 09-Jan-07 2:52 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [COMMUNITYPSYCHUK] critical reading on everyday psychiatry? > > > Dear Craig, > > Thanks for reopening this issue. > > Interestingly, Marie Jahoda - who I regard as an early critical > community psychologist - set up the Brunel Psychology undergraduate > course as a sandwich course in which students worked in factories, > offices etc for a year whilst critically reflecting on the mutual > implications of work life for academic life and vice versa and I would > like to see something similar going on today (though these days > experience may need to be more often in call centres and part time > service sector jobs rather than in factories at least in this part of > the world) > > However the people interested in potential books I am talking about are > not Uni students but 'users' of psychiatric services who are also > community activists using arts to tackle stigma, stereotypes, injustice, > oppression in relation to mental health. They are, despite their > artivism, subject to the attentions of psychiatrists, community > psychiatric nurses, psychiatric social workers etc and are 'given' > diagnoses, treatments, discursively positioned and generally 'talked > at'. When they are told they are suffering from schizophrenia, bi-polar > disorder, have a personality disorder etc. in need of treatment they > want to know in plain language what this means to the person doing the > talking and what it means in terms of the potential disempowerment of > the person doing the hearing. Engels may be key critical reading but may > not be priority reading if being faced by being sectioned? However the > social justice activism side of the project means that it is also > important to engage critically with the psy-complex and its discourses . > . . and so many good books which do that are pretty inaccessible to > those are not professional readers (Rose or Foucault would be hard going > for some in the group) > > So we want to find something to read which helps translate and decode > psy-professionals' talk (and their doing by talking) but also which > problemetises and deconstructs it in an accessible way. I have not come > across anything yet . . . but am still hopeful though also perhaps > increasingly wondering if it is yet to be written? > > David > > > David Fryer > University of Stirling > FK9 4LA > Scotland > +44 (0) 1786 467650 (tel) > +44 (0) 1786 467641 (fax) > [log in to unmask] > > -----Original Message----- > From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Craig Newnes > Sent: 09 January 2007 1:29 pm > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: critical reading on everyday psychiatry? > > > I find myself agitated by the suggestions to David about > potential books. They are the usual suapects - even our own (This is > madness and This is madness too) are edited by Clinical Psychologists > tho many chapters are by survivors and others. How about starting with > Engels, as a far more insightful read? Anyone not paid by the psych > industry can question it and point out its myriad flaws - indeed David > himself blasted the non link between so called cognitions, biochemistry > and conduct in Forum last year. Perhaps the students could work in a > factory for a year instead. > Craig > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [log in to unmask] > To: [log in to unmask] > Sent: Mon, 8 Jan 2007 3.29PM > Subject: Re: [COMMUNITYPSYCHUK] critical reading on everyday > psychiatry? > > > David, > > How about 'Users and Abusers of Psychiatry' (2000) by Rowe and > Johnstone. Very readable, not too technical and critical to some extent > but might have a bit too much of a psychotherapeutic focus and is not as > critical as it could be, > > Mike > > Annie Mitchell <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Hi David, > > You could try Madness Explained by Richard P Bentall ( > penguin paperback; 2nd edition 2004) ? It doesn't meet all your > requirements in that it doesn't look at all diagnostic categories, only > psychosis/ schizophrenia, but it does give a very thorough explanation > of the DSM criteria, and why the medical model categories are > inappropriate. Written by a cognitive psychologist but informed by wider > considerations of social justice - the author makes personal connections > as he had a brother who was diagnosed as psychotic. It's technical, long > but readable. > > Regarding anxiety and depression, you could try Goldberg > and Goodyear (2005) Origins and Course of Common Mental Disorders. > Routledge. Again, this challenges medical model thinking but probably > not as socially critical as you would want. > > Annie > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David Fryer > Sent: 02 January 2007 15:28 > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: critical reading on everyday psychiatry? > > Happy New Year > > Can anyone recommend a good book for the following > purposes, please? > > Some of us who are members of an expressive arts mental > health group in Scotland, plan to meet in the new year in a 'book group' > to read, think about and critically discuss the diagnoses some of us > have been given by psychiatrists and the broader context of psychiatry > and psy-professions. We are looking for recommendations of a book or > books to use. We have three requirements of such a book: > > First, we do need a book which really clearly explicates > the so-called symptoms, diagnostic categories, common pharmaceutical and > other interventions etc. which are actually deployed by psychiatrists > and others. > > Secondly, we also need a book written within a critical > frame of reference, which does itself not subscribe to the medical model > of mental ill-health but is informed by wider societal and justice > considerations. > > Thirdly, we need a book which will not disable us > through use of a lot of jargon, very complicated sentence structure etc. > > Does anyone know of an accessible book about mental > illness which gets to grip with everyday diagnoses and treatments made > in the UK whilst supporting and promoting ideologically critical > thinking? > > The closest we have got so far is: Key Concepts in > Mental Health (Key Concepts) > <http://www.amazon.co.uk/Key-Concepts-Mental-Health/dp/1412907772/sr=1-2 > /qid=1167750883/ref=sr_1_2/202-2793199-8718202?ie=UTF8&s=books> by > David Pilgrim (Paperback - Feb 2005). This is really very interesting > but a little more general than we want. > > David Heeley and Mary Boyle have already been > recommended. > > Can anyone suggest any other book we might consider? > David > David Fryer > University of Stirling > FK9 4LA > Scotland > +44 (0) 1786 467650 (tel) > +44 (0) 1786 467641 (fax) > [log in to unmask] > -- > The University of Stirling is a university established > in Scotland by charter at Stirling, FK9 4LA. Privileged/Confidential > Information may be contained in this message. If you are not the > addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the > message to such person), you may not disclose, copy or deliver this > message to anyone and any action taken or omitted to be taken in > reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful. In such case, you > should destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply email. > Please advise immediately if you or your employer do not consent to > Internet email for messages of this kind. > ___________________________________ COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - > The discussion list for community psychology in the UK. To unsubscribe > or to change your details visit the website: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML For any problems > or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on > [log in to unmask] > ___________________________________ COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - > The discussion list for community psychology in the UK. To unsubscribe > or to change your details visit the website: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML For any problems > or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on > [log in to unmask] > > > Send instant messages to your online friends > http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com ___________________________________ > COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the > UK. To unsubscribe or to change your details visit the website: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML For any problems > or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on > [log in to unmask] > ___________________________________ COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The > discussion list for community psychology in the UK. To unsubscribe or to > change your details visit the website: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML For any problems > or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on > [log in to unmask] > > > > -- > > The University of Stirling is a university established in Scotland by > charter at Stirling, FK9 4LA. Privileged/Confidential Information may be > contained in this message. If you are not the addressee indicated in > this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such > person), you may not disclose, copy or deliver this message to anyone > and any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is > prohibited and may be unlawful. In such case, you should destroy this > message and kindly notify the sender by reply email. Please advise > immediately if you or your employer do not consent to Internet email for > messages of this kind. > > ___________________________________ COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion > list for community psychology in the UK. To unsubscribe or to change > your details visit the website: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML For any problems > or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on > [log in to unmask] > > > ___________________________________ > COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the > UK. > To unsubscribe or to change your details visit the website: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML > For any problems or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on > [log in to unmask] > > > > > ********************************************************************** > This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and > intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they > are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify > the system security manager ([log in to unmask]). > > This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by > MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses and inappropriate content. > ********************************************************************** > > ___________________________________ > COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the UK. > To unsubscribe or to change your details visit the website: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML > For any problems or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on [log in to unmask] > > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.8/621 - Release Date: 09/01/07 13:37 ___________________________________ COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the UK. To unsubscribe or to change your details visit the website: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML For any problems or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on [log in to unmask]