They Say You're Crazy: How The World's Most Powerful Psychiatrists Decide Who's Normal (Paperback)

~ (Author) "If we allow others to decide whether or not we are normal, we lose the power to define, to judge, and, often, to respect ourselves..." (more)
Key Phrases: provisional appendix, gatekeeping techniques, delusional dominating personality disorder, American Psychiatric Association, Allen Frances, Judith Gold (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Self-Defeating Personality Disorder, Nicotine Dependence, Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder-these are some of the 400 "mental illnesses" described in the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic bible, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Caplan (The Myth of Women's Masochism), a psychologist and former consultant to the DSM, compellingly argues that "much of what is labeled 'mental illness' would more appropriately be called problems in living." In a disturbing insider's look at how the mental health establishment decides who is normal and who is "sick," she charges that the DSM board's decision-making process, dominated by a handful of conservative white male psychiatrists, is arbitrary, condescending, profit-driven and riddled with personal biases and political consideration. Facile labeling of personality problems, she shows, can cause personal suffering as well as material harm because DSM categories figure prominently in who wins child custody, who gets hospitalized against their will and whose psychotherapy is covered by insurance. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Psychologist Caplan shows how the American Psychiatric Association's bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, lacks the scientific basis claimed for it. Drawing on her years as an adviser-consultant to various related APA committees, she brings to light the association's lack of interest in outsiders' views and the sloppy design and execution of the research it accepts as authoritative. Caplan cites two diagnostic entities, self-defeating personality disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, not only to demonstrate the association's narrow-mindedness and sloppy scientific manners but also to underline the dangers of labeling individuals or groups with such designations. The APA is aided, wittingly or not, by news media reliance on association news releases and the association's biased use of language, and the problems caused thereby affect women in particular, for APA material is also used for political and social purposes. William Beatty --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 382 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 3, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201488329
• ISBN-13: 978-0201488326
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #577,286 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shocking! Makes you think about ALL categorizations we use., April 3, 2004

By	Ksuzy (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

Caplan spends a lot of time developing an ideology around what American society views as normal and what it doesn't, and how we come up with those categories, as well as the consequences for those who don't happen to fit into the "normal" category. One of her main premises is that because of the categories in the DSM, women can almost never be categorized as normal. She further describes her journey in trying to keep particular categories out of the book that would have marginalized women further, using scientific data that actually refuted the non-scientific process the psychiatrists used to place categories and their criteria in the book. It was sometimes something as "lofty" as, "My wife has that symptom." "Oh, well, we'll take that one out then."

Her book is powerful, because it demonstrates the social construction of concepts like "normal," the power of labeling people "abnormal," the relative power and authority one must have to label someone "abnormal," and how much easier it has been for males to do it to females in the medical (esp. the mental health) establishment because until recently, females have been kept out of medicine.

Because her book is coming from such a strong "powerful vs. the powerless" perspective, it does lack a strong point that could have made this a more balanced view, and that is how individuals, even though they may lack power relative to the "labelers," can be complicit in their labeling. There can be benefits to being labeled, such as that it can legitimize women's complaints to have an official diagnosis, it can relieve individuals of full responsibilities for their actions or duties, it can give people an identity, and give people the illusion that the problems are contained within themselves rather than the environment or social structure in which they live, which probably won't change. All of these reasons help explain why people might accept a label or even label themselves. Caplan only seems to suggest that people are labeled against their wills and that's the end of it.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars They Say Women are Crazy, October 31, 2002

By	Richard J. Brzostek (New England, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Paula J. Caplan's book They Say You're Crazy: How the World's Most Powerful Psychiatrists Decide Who's Normal questions the validity of the DSM. Although psychiatrists claim that their manual is based on science, this is not always the case. Dr. Caplan describes how psychiatrists that decide who is normal "...too often slot people into categories for politically, economically, and emotionally charged reasons while pretending that they are operating in a solidly scientific way" (p. 34).

Caplan is a clinical psychologist and a feminist that criticizes mental disorders that are specifically for women. Regardless of the author's motivation for fighting these "disorders" and speaking out against them, she exposes many startling aspects of psychiatry. Disorders are voted into existence with little or no empirical evidence. Caplan comments on the DSM:

"To the untutored eye, and even to many mental health personnel, the DSM appears grounded in science, although many features that give this impression turn out on inspection to provide only a veneer of scientific sheen rather than genuine, carefully supported research. (p.186)"

Perhaps the most interesting parts of the book were where the author describes her personal experience working with the DSM committees for PMDD and SDPD. However, it is not much of a story because the committees did not really want her involvement, and left her out of most of the process. This aspect of the book is a unique contribution to the works of DSM criticism.

14 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for all psychology students., March 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: They Say You're Crazy: How the World's Most Powerful Psychiatrists Decide Who's Normal (Hardcover)

A well-researched, inside view of how psychological diagnoses are created. Paula Caplan, an APA "Eminent Psychologist", clearly explains the pitfalls and dangers inherent in the process, and the implications for the lives of millions of clients.