Signs of Mental Illness: An Astrological and Psychiatric Breakthrough [Paperback]

Mitchell Earl Gibson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995

Designed for psychologists, psychiatrists, astrologers, and lay people alike, Signs of Mental Illness by Dr. Mitchell E. Gibson, M.D., is a breakthrough in the sciences of psychiatry and astrology that will help people with their mental health for this new millennium.

The author is one of the most well known and highly respected medial doctors in the state of Arizona, where he maintains a successful private practice in psychiatry. Dr. Gibson is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology, the American Board of Forensic Medicine, and the American College of Forensic Examiners. Formerly, he was chief of staff at East Valley Camelback Hospital, as well as chief resident in psychiatry at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. With such an illustrious career, why has he written a book that uses astrology, a science that some people severely question? Because it can help people—and because it's the truth.

In Signs of Mental Illness, Dr. Gibson demonstrates new astrological techniques for predicting mental illness, based on his study of more than 400 astrological birth charts and the use of scientific statistical research models. Here is what he has discovered:

·The average person's birth chart contains about three marker aspects of depression
·The birth chart of someone with major depression contains an average of ten such markers

What are these indications? You'll find out in Signs of Mental Illness. Even with no previous astrological experience, you'll learn how to spot the indicators for mental illness through the declinations and multiple planet aspects that form the basis of this pioneering work. To get you started, there is a coupon for a FREE birth chart included with every copy of Signs of Mental Illness.

·Learn to detect depression, anxiety, addictive disorder, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in a client's chart
·See the astrological markers for mental illness in the charts of Princess Diana, Marshall Applewhite, Charles Dickens, Mike Wallace, and others
·Learn the basics of astrology if you are new to the science

Numerous cases of famous people are highlighted in this book. All of the patients were diagnosed according to the DSM-IV, the gold standard of psychiatric diagnostic criteria. The diagnostic groups represented include major depression, anxiety, addictive disorder, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Signs of Mental Illness is a must for all workers in the mental health fields and all astrologers. It will also help you to understand more about yourself.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Signs of Mental Illness by Dr. Mitchell E. Gibson, M.D., is one of the most important books you will ever read. In it you will learn how to use astrology to predict the potential of depression, anxiety, addictive disorder, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder from a client's chart.

Even if you know nothing of astrology, this book is ideal for you. It includes a complete introduction to the science.

Dr. Gibson used the DSM-IV in his diagnoses of patients, and his exemplary credentials make it clear that this system is valid. It is the result of work with 400 clients and the use of the latest in scientific statistical analysis.

Here at Llewellyn, we are so impressed with Dr. Gibson's work that we would like you to try it out for yourself and see that it will work in your psychotherapeutic or astrological practice. Included with each copy of Signs of Mental Illness is a coupon for a FREE birth chart. Have it made for one of your clients and then use the book to see the results. We believe you will be more than impressed.

Signs of Mental Illness is intended for mental health professionals as well as astrologers. Lay people will find this book of incredible value, too. You will be very glad when you prove to yourself the usefulness of the information in Signs of Mental Illness.

About the Author

Mitchell E. Gibson, M.D., (Arizona) is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology, the American Board of Forensic Medicine, and the American Colleges of Forensic Examiners.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567183026
• ISBN-13: 978-1567183023
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #946,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Astrology that feels funny, February 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Signs of Mental Illness: An Astrological and Psychiatric Breakthrough (Paperback)

It's always interesting to read crossover books by authors of one or more contrasting professions. Currently on my reading table, I have the book written by a psychotherapist who dabbles in astrology (Mitchell Gibson--Signs of Mental Illness) and a book written by an astrologer who obtained a degree in psychology (Greg Bogart--Therapeutic Astology). Many authors and philosophers, since the days of Dane Rudyhar and Carl Jung, have tried their hand in legitimating astrology with psychology, often with variable results. So let the buyer beware.

In the case of Gibson's book, one must declare his approach too scientific and yet not scientific enough. He talks about control groups, planetary indices of all kinds with authority, but he formulates his findings (and the tell-tale markers of mental illness)on a very limited number of birthcharts per category. (The categories he defines in this work are depression, anxiety, addictive disorders, schizophrenia and ADHD.) The markers in themselves are a very fascinating part of his work, but with the limited empirical evidence used, the list of markers are not comprehensive. I, for example, have not seen any Mars-Pluto aspect among the list of markers cited in this study.

Conveniently, Gibson downplays--in the name of SCIENCE, I suppose--the intuitive, mystical side of astrology, as well as some of its most historical features (i.e., the house system, the four primary angles, the impact of timely transits and progressions, T-squares, yods, and grand crosses, the position of Chiron or the nodes, etc.).

Furthermore, Gibson's approach to astrological aspects is confusing and outdated to the practicing astrologer. I've learned, some years back, to treat oppositions with less fatalism . I was told that with some adjustment and compromise, these aspects can be made to support and complement each another. For Gibson's thesis, oppositions are still dogmatically viewed as negative across the board. Authors Bil Tirney and Liz Greene has in their own books successfully updated the reputation on the Greater Malefic, Saturn, casting the old devil as a mystical "guardian planet" of sorts. Gibson maintains that any relationship to Saturn is still negative, no further discussion thank you. Finally, trines, sextiles and many conjunctions--long revered by many as positive, easy-going aspects in astrology--are considered markers for mental illness, according to Gibson's model. One can sense that Gibson is misusing astrology in a strange, opportunistic way. At one point, I was almost forced to cry out, "Are we still using the same planets and methodologies?" This study is much less of a marriage as it is a possible reimaging of the astrology-psychology union.

The graphs, which Gibson offers in his book, highlights the planets in their declinations and longitudes(the zodiac positions, which historically provided the data critical to the construction of traditional horoscopes, are curiously muted here--Gemini, for example, has been reduced [uncited] to a few degrees on the chart). Unarguably, these graphs are very original and ground breaking because they expose mysterious planetary relationships, in the form of elevations, parallels, contraparallels and eclipses. There's some merit in this. Yet,when I tried to apply the graphing procedures to my own data (and to a friend's, who has had a string of major depressions and addictions in her life), I wasn't able to "find" enough markers or planetary relationships to warrant her (or my) inclinations towards ANY erratic behavior. (Again, the list of markers and empirical sample was not large enough. Meanwhile, studying the subject's natal house positions, zodiac signs and angles, even transits and progressions could have vividly offered more telling markers--all of which were excluded from this book!) Ultimately, I find the charts themselves hard to interpret and have (except in the case of one example) no accompanying data tables to confirm their chart position. One can't tell if Uranus is hidek or exdek, simply by reading its location between +20 degrees and +25 degrees. And the resulting interpretation of these relationships, based on chart visualization, were ambiguous or went undiagnosed.

Perhaps this method of determining mental illness patterns using astrological precepts works best with extreme cases. If it could only predict the mental inclinations of such a limited section of birthcharts, then this document should be made more technical and upgraded to the medical, scientific community--who, of course, would unanimously brand it ancedotal, not supportable and a superstitious fantasy. In its current popular/self help edition, however, "Signs of Mental Illness" fails to offer clear, consistent, comprehensive information for me to keep in my library.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable and brilliant, May 2, 2000

By 

Luc De Jaeger (Belgium) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Signs of Mental Illness: An Astrological and Psychiatric Breakthrough (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book, based on the principles of the Magi Society (look for their books !). This sounds like (near-)scientific astrology. Far more medical doctors should learn astrology and write their findings down. If they would bring all this knowledge together, well it would be astonishing to see astrology grow in a scientific way. Mitchell Gibson has studied more than 400 charts and has found statistic significant signatures for some sorts of mental illnesses. This is a brilliant work that any serious astrologer should read. I hope that some computerprograms will incorporate his findings in their astrological software to make this knowledge available so that one can do the tedious calculations in a minute.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!! I loved this book!, January 14, 2003

By 

daniel kinnard (Atlanta Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Signs of Mental Illness: An Astrological and Psychiatric Breakthrough (Paperback)

An astrologer friend of mine recommended this book to me. I have suffered from depression for years and I was glad to see a psychiatrist who has the guts to write about astrology and mental illness for the general public. I have read some of these reviews before I bought the book and they only made me want to read it for myself. This book is a brilliant new approach to mental health and astrology. It is different in that he doesn't use the traditional astrology stuff we all know and love, but aren't we allowed to grow and learn! I called Dr. Gibson and talked to him on the phone. He is approachable, friendly, and smart, real smart. He made me feel better about my illness and he gave me some real insight on depression from a spiritual point of view. You really got to read this book with an open mind, and if you do you will grow a lot in your understanding of how the planets affect our brains...

Thanks Dr. Gibson!!