What is Mental Illness?

Compassionate and insightful. Kirkus Reviews 20101001 McNally, an adviser on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, calls himself a "friendly critic" of psychiatry. In eight compact, well-written chapters, he points out the high prevalence of mental disorder in the United States, the tendency to create diagnoses to fit with new pharmaceuticals, and the blurred line between distress and disorder that allows grief to be labeled depression and high spirits [labeled] mania. McNally explains how homosexuality was removed from the list of disorders, how posttraumatic stress disorder was added, how the "recovered memory" phenomenon rose and fell, and much more. Together, biology, culture, politics, economics, and religion determine what is and isn't normal. Essential for mental-health professionals, this remarkable book will give diligent lay readers a grasp of genetics, evolutionary psychology, and diagnostic controversies. -- E. James Lieberman Library Journal (starred review) 20101115 McNally's book is essentially an extended critique of the DSM, for which he serves as an advisor...[He] begins by asking if we are pathologizing everyday life...One thing that I particularly appreciated about this book is that McNally doesn't take any sides when describing...hypotheses about the origins of mental illness, allowing the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. Those conclusions will probably be mixed and inconsistent, and that's okay. You get the real sense that he is truly committed to the alleviation of mental suffering...It's a clear, thorough, and lively accounting of the problems facing mental health and its practitioners today, and will prove a fascinating read to scientist and layperson alike. -- Jason Goldman Wired blog 20110518 McNally's wide-ranging and extremely readable book is quite sane, and vastly illuminating...Perhaps the most profound insight in What Is Mental Illness? has to do with the role of culture. McNally presents a clinically nuanced, historically rich, and anthropologically informed discussion of how mental illnesses are expressed...The next DSM edition, the fifth, is now in the works. To judge by the heated controversy within academic and advocacy circles generated by interim progress reports, its unveiling in 2013 will doubtless shine an uncomfortable spotlight on the psychiatric profession and spark plenty of debate. McNally's masterful synthesis will help us understand the discussion, and thereby help us to understand ourselves. -- Sally Patel New Republic 20110512