R.D. Laing - Mad to be Normal
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R.D. Laing - Mad to be Normal
Last night flicking around the TV menu I saw a new film on offer - Mad to Be Normal, starring David Tennant as R.D. Laing, the ‘rebel’ psychiatrist, beloved of all hippies and pseudo hippies in the late 60s and early 70s. Most of my friends had copies of the Divided Self, Self and Others and The Politics of Experience on their book shelves, as did I.
The film was basically about the psychiatric community he set up in Scotland where patients and psychiatrists lived together communally but focused on Laing’s personal life too, which was pretty chaotic. I thought the film was great, if a little sensationalised.
If you don’t know anything about him here’s a link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._D._Laing
He was basically an adversary of those who treated madness as a disease - in a tiny nutshell. I am not the only one who took his writing on board when training as a social worker and briefly working as a psychiatric one of ‘em.
What struck me though was the man’s sheer recklessness (he gave LSD to psychotic people for example), combined with bravery and the utter balls it must have taken to fight the established psychiatric profession at the time.
I think in retrospect he was misguided and probably wrong about some of the causes of madness as he described them but I think he also opened up the profession, which was much needed. Psychiatrists, having worked with them, perhaps because they aren’t entirely sure of their ground, can be uniquely arrogant.
If you have a passing interest in Laing look out for the film. It’s on Sky if you get films from there, for free.
The film was basically about the psychiatric community he set up in Scotland where patients and psychiatrists lived together communally but focused on Laing’s personal life too, which was pretty chaotic. I thought the film was great, if a little sensationalised.
If you don’t know anything about him here’s a link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._D._Laing
He was basically an adversary of those who treated madness as a disease - in a tiny nutshell. I am not the only one who took his writing on board when training as a social worker and briefly working as a psychiatric one of ‘em.
What struck me though was the man’s sheer recklessness (he gave LSD to psychotic people for example), combined with bravery and the utter balls it must have taken to fight the established psychiatric profession at the time.
I think in retrospect he was misguided and probably wrong about some of the causes of madness as he described them but I think he also opened up the profession, which was much needed. Psychiatrists, having worked with them, perhaps because they aren’t entirely sure of their ground, can be uniquely arrogant.
If you have a passing interest in Laing look out for the film. It’s on Sky if you get films from there, for free.
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Re: R.D. Laing - Mad to be Normal
From what I remember, a major criticism was that he ascribed all the causes of many forms of madness to the upbringing of a child, and none to biochemistry, thus putting a shit load of guilt onto many parents.
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Re: R.D. Laing - Mad to be Normal
The general public perception was that this was the case. In actual fact he never said that specifically. He certainly cited examples of parents sending their kids crazy but he was always careful not to reduce all psychiatric disorders to the one cause.
He’s a bit vague on the brain chemistry approach but he didn’t like it and in that respect he was clearly, from today’s perspective, off the mark.
I think, again from today’s perspective, his major influence has been to increase the say and rights of the patient in the whole psychiatric industry, however indirectly.
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Re: R.D. Laing - Mad to be Normal
If I'm not mistaken, he did claim to have had some success in treating some forms of depression and mild bi-polar though a combination of intense programmed psychedelic experiences and the forerunner of CBT.
I assume he was also working in the long shadow of Freud at the time.
I assume he was also working in the long shadow of Freud at the time.
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Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Re: R.D. Laing - Mad to be Normal
He did. But then traditional psychiatric treatment back then was not very effective at all. It isn’t much better these days for psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and the most disruptive states. All one can say is that the sedating drugs aren’t quite the sledge hammer they once were.
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Re: R.D. Laing - Mad to be Normal
what's CBT?Brian Peacock wrote: ↑Tue Feb 05, 2019 9:32 pmIf I'm not mistaken, he did claim to have had some success in treating some forms of depression and mild bi-polar though a combination of intense programmed psychedelic experiences and the forerunner of CBT.
I assume he was also working in the long shadow of Freud at the time.
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Re: R.D. Laing - Mad to be Normal
Cognitive behaviour therapy. A much over praised and mildly effective treatment for minor psychological problems.
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Re: R.D. Laing - Mad to be Normal
never got it, I guess my ^perpetual depression is too deep to be treated with that
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Re: R.D. Laing - Mad to be Normal
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