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E. Fuller Torrey
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The Insanity Offense: How America's Failure to Treat the Seriously Mentally Ill Endangers Its Citizens 1st Edition

by E. Fuller Torrey (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 78 ratings
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A leading expert on mental illness outlines the tragic consequences of deinstitutionalization and sounds the call for reform.

Beginning in the 1960s in the United States, scores of patients with severe psychiatric disorders were discharged from public mental hospitals. At the same time, activists forced changes in commitment laws that made it impossible to treat half of the patients that left the hospital. The combined effect was profoundly destructive. Today, among homeless persons, at least one-third are severely mentally ill; among the incarcerated, at least one-tenth. Of those individuals living in our communities, many are the victims of violent crime. Other untreated individuals commit crimes, including murder and assault. In The Insanity Offense, E. Fuller Torrey takes full stock of this phenomenon, exploring the causes and consequences as he weaves together narratives of individual tragedies in three states with sobering national data on our failure to treat the mentally ill. In the book's final chapters, Torrey outlines what needs to be done to reverse this ongoing―and accelerating―disaster.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0393066584
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0393066586
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  5. Publication date
    June 17, 2008
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.1 x 9.6 inches
  8. Print length
    288 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The ill effects of not providing proper treatment for people with serious mental disorders has become all too apparent in recent years, writes research psychiatrist and treatment advocate Torrey (Surviving Manic-Depression). Released en masse from institutions beginning in the 1960s, the most severely ill are most likely to become homeless, incarcerated, victimized, and/or violent. Torrey details how civil liberties suits have prevented such people from being involuntarily institutionalized, leaving them a danger both to themselves and to others. Confronting these issues head on, Torrey offers both the clinical and the anecdotal, citing several tragic examples: in the case of Cho Seung-Hui, the 2007 Virginia Tech killer, he faults both the university and stringent state laws regarding involuntary commitment for neglecting to treat a clearly very ill young man. This reform-minded book calls for a change in laws affecting how mentally ill people are treated, keeping close track of those with a history of violent behavior and creating a more comprehensive treatment approach. Chilling and well documented, this text has many no-nonsense solutions to protect the mentally ill themselves as well as society as a whole. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Research psychiatrist Torrey says that what began in the 1960s as an unlikely marriage between civil liberties advocates, who saw mandatory institutionalization of the mentally ill as a civil rights violation, and cost-conscious conservatives has resulted in a national catastrophe. That was when state governments decided they could save money by deinstitutionalizing mental patients, shuttering mental hospitals, and turning thousands of schizophrenics and manic-depressives out onto the streets. Ever since then, Torrey has been tallying instances in which severe mental illness has contributed to an escalating number of violent attacks, murders, and suicides and counting the number of severely mentally ill who are either homeless or incarcerated. Though he admits some of his numbers are estimates—most public officials like to pretend the mentally ill are invisible and thus fail to keep an accounting—they speak volumes about the dire need for public institutions equipped to help the severely mentally ill regain control over their destructive behaviors. His cry is loud and clear, but his solutions, alas, are necessarily complicated. --Donna Chavez

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (June 17, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393066584
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393066586
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.1 x 9.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 78 ratings

About the author

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E. Fuller Torrey

E. Fuller Torrey

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E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., is a research psychiatrist specializing in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He is the executive director of the Stanley Medical Research Institute, the founder of the Treatment Advocacy Center, a professor of psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and the author of twenty books. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
78 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and informative. They appreciate the thorough review of research and practical recommendations backed by case studies. The book is considered an excellent reference for mental health and law enforcement professionals.

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ReadabilityReliance on research
15 customers mention "Readability"13 positive2 negative

Customers find the book engaging and informative. They say it's an important read for mental health and law enforcement professionals, as well as governments officials. The case studies are detailed and the book does a good job of illustrating the problems with involuntary commitment.

"Torrey's eye-opening expose' about all that is wrong with our mental health system is a long overdue discussion...." Read more

"...through this book this book is so real it's scary, not only is it informative but it's hard to put this book down" Read more

"...There are several case studies detailed in the book which are really intriguing. The book is easy to follow, and reads like a fiction book...." Read more

"Very interesting and compelling argument for involuntary commitment under certain circumstances...." Read more

7 customers mention "Reliance on research"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's reliance on research and practical recommendations. They find the review of research and case studies useful. The book provides clear information backed by research and statistics. It is an excellent reference for anyone interested in US mental health.

"...is the answer, and this author is armed with the stories and stats to convince you. The downside is the cheap format...." Read more

"...The book is easy to follow, and reads like a fiction book. It's a great primer for anyone interesting in the US mental health system." Read more

"Very interesting and compelling argument for involuntary commitment under certain circumstances...." Read more

"...Dr. Torrey provides clear , information backed by research and numerous case studies, and presents the issues in a way all can comprehend." Read more

Kindle version
5 out of 5 stars
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Im almost half way through this book this book is so real it's scary, not only is it informative but it's hard to put this book down
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Lewis Tagliaferre
    5.0 out of 5 stars Long ovedue and too nice...
    Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    This author is not kidding...he really tells it as it is, but with a light touch that may miss the mark. State legislators need to be slammed up side the head to get their attention and I fear he is a little too politically correct. As the father of a middle-aged bi-polar daughter, I was blindsided by the impact of her disease. She is one of the lucky ones who found a qualified psychiatrist and medications that are working to keep her off the streets, but barely. Unless you experience the family impact of mental illness most people just walk on by. The civil rights lawyers and courts who curtailed mandatory treatment are the real criminals in this crisis and the author is too easy on them. Mental illness still is a great social taboo in this culture of control and cure. When neither are possible our government seems paralized to respond. Unfortunately, I fear that it will take a lot more homeless people and mentally ill criminal behavior to get the needed attention and reforms. But, hey, never forget that a few highly dedicated people can change things. Meantime, you suffer and hope. Read this book and get involved. Contact the National Alliance for Mental Illness in your area.
    53 people found this helpful
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  • Nancy B
    5.0 out of 5 stars Long Overdue
    Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Torrey's eye-opening expose' about all that is wrong with our mental health system is a long overdue discussion. Anyone who reads this book who has or has not experienced mental illness personally or through associations with friends or family members will have to agree that the system for dealing with these life-threatening illnesses is badly broken. Mental illness has been shamefully dismissed as something other than the biological illness of the brain that it is for far too long. Time to dish the stigma associated with it and confront it head on as we have with cancer, AIDS, dementia, diabetes, and all of the other illnesses which get priority with our attention and resources.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Jeanette
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Because I have a 44+ year Prison Ministry AND have a daughter who has Bi-polar Affective Disorder - and is doing GREAT! I still write letters to several inmates still serving.2
    And just as I was finishing the book, I received a letter from one of them with several copies of letters he was sending on behalf of his brother, who is in another prison - and had spent 20 years in SOLITARY CONFINEMENT because he was mentally ill! I wrote several of my own letters on his behalf. Your book and my circumstances wove together perfectly. (But I haven't received an answer to any of my letters.... heavy sigh......
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars A scary story
    Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This book is frightening, but right here is the answer to what is going on with the mass murders. Psychotic control, not gun control, is the answer, and this author is armed with the stories and stats to convince you.

    The downside is the cheap format. The book is hard to read because of little black/white contrast and inexpensive paper. In fact, it is a deterrent to reading it; I would otherwise have finished it already, I'm sure.

    But if you are looking for evidence and historical precedence for the problem we have here in our society--- the huge problem--- read this book.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Kindle version
    Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Im almost half way through this book this book is so real it's scary, not only is it informative but it's hard to put this book down
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    Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Kindle version
    Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2020
    Im almost half way through this book this book is so real it's scary, not only is it informative but it's hard to put this book down
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    One person found this helpful
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  • E. Cresswell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Review of The Insanity Offense
    Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    The book rates five stars, but I can't say I loved it. It is depressing that our inexcusable treatment of the mentally ill has continued for so long without correction. Torrey knows the problem, how widespread it is, and who caused it and continues to thwart a decent solution. The book has the data to evaluate the problem, but it cannot correct it.
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  • Em332
    5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging read!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This book does a wonderful job at illustrating the problems with the mental health system in America. There are several case studies detailed in the book which are really intriguing. The book is easy to follow, and reads like a fiction book. It's a great primer for anyone interesting in the US mental health system.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Mike
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good call-to-alarm but few solutions offered
    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2011
    The Tuscon shootings have spurred serious questions about why the mentally-ill shooter was free. After 40 pages or so of alarming anecdotes, this book becomes a highly repetitive compilation of more alarming anecdotes documenting the horrific unintended consequences of emptying our mental institutions starting in the 1960's and moving forward. If you are looking for ways to change the status quo in the treatment of the seriously mentally ill while protecting families and society from the dangerous, current white papers online from any number of sources will better help you find solutions. This work served well in helping identify the problem, its genesis and current manifestations - but little to direct or crystalize any energy around needed, practical legal changes.
    5 people found this helpful
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