Why does Szasz refer to mental illness as a myth? Why does he feel that labeling someone as mentally ill may be doing him or her a disservice?
Thomas Szasz was psychiatrist. He wrote a book known as the myth of the mental illness. He declared the concept of the mental illness as unsatisfactory and vague. According to him, the mental illness was just a metaphor, which is inappropriate in nature. He believed that true illness of the mind does not exist. He declared the illness of mind as logically absurd having dangerous consequences.
Szasz strictly discouraged the psychiatrist’s tendency for labeling the people as mentally ill. He believed that psychological problems are not to be considered as the illness or disease. According to him, mental illness term is consists of the conceptual or the logical error in it. Szasz perception was these kinds of labels encourage the patient to act and think according to the process of diagnosis.
These labels confer the great influence on the patients to behave accordingly. The label of mental illness causes the patient to accept the procedure of diagnosis with expectations and the surplus meanings. Labeling does not pose the positive impact on the health of patient. Szasz discouraged the acceptance of hysteria as problem associated with the emotions.