E. Fuller Torrey

In the 1960s there were two big things happening in US society. First, there were civil rights movements, and second, states and the government needed money. There began one of the largest problems seen on the streets of America today. Though most experts at the time believed that deinstitutionalization was the right way to go, no one seemed to think of the long term consequences this movement might have. Civil rights advocates argued that involuntary commitment was inhumane and that the laws should be changed, and so they were. Thousands of state funded hospitals for those with serious mental illnesses were closed, and most of the individuals living in them were left with no where to go.

The Insanity Offense is an accounting of the deinstitutionalization of America and the profound effect it has had on society. E. Fuller Torrey, a research psychiatrist, has followed many cases of mentally ill individuals that have been left without proper care only to cause harm. He puts a light on the real picture of what’s happening. The mentally ill have no where to turn, those who need treatment the most cannot get it because the laws say that an involuntary commitment to a facility cannot happen until the individual has actually acted in violence, not just threatened it. In many cases even if someone is taken in, they will be released after a few days, and chances are they will repeat the cycle again.

Mentally ill peoples are being left homeless, they turn violent and hurt themselves and others, they are victimized because other criminals think of them as weak and defenseless, and they are being incarcerated at higher rates than ever before, left in prisons that don’t have the resources to treat them as needed. Is that more inhumane than involuntarily committing them to get the treatment they need?

Reading this book broke my heart and infuriated me at the same time. The blindness of those with the power to change the circumstances is inexcusable. This book is a true eye-opener and it is something I can see myself referring back to in the future. Honestly, I would have to call it a “must read” because everyone should know what is really happening to the mentally ill of America.… (mere)

This book was both more informative than I expected, and not as informative as I hoped, but all-in-all a very good read. Firstly, it was not as informative as I hoped, primarily because it is out-dated. It's nearly 20 years old and mostly refers to the DSM-III-R; we are now using the DSM-IV-TR. In that respect, many of the things I read were not new or surprising because the information has been well-established, and some of the research studies mentioned in the book have long since concluded.

That being said, this book offers a lot of terrific basic knowledge on manic depression (bipolar disorders), as well as more advanced information - of which might be slightly out of reach of the typical layperson, but well within grasp of anyone who is familiar with psychology, the illness, or has Google Dictionary at hand.

Although I'm very familiar with the illness, I did find a lot of interesting and surprising information - like how closely linked it is to schizophrenia, and how the illness can be genetically heritable, and how delusions and psychosis can actually be pervasive in many cases. It also provided clarity on some areas such as why anti-psychotics are prescribed for a mood disorder, and why anti-psychotics are often accompanied with anti-depressants.

I also appreciated how the book addressed myths surrounding the illness, such as the correlation of manic depression and violent behavior, the correlation of manic depression and creativity, and the correlation of manic depression and prenatal illness. Another thing I greatly appreciated was how the book directly addresses that a painful majority of studies on manic depression do not include significant numbers, thus leaving the data and our higher understanding to be inconclusive.

The parts of the book I found most valuable were the anecdotes from patients and family members of those suffering manic depression because it provided a level of humanity to the text, as well as additional support for the diagnosis and treatment. I was also surprised to find valuable tidbits in the chapters I didn't think I would find very interesting, such as the chapter on manic depression in children and adolescents, and manic depression in family members. These chapters set off an epiphany or two that I don't think I would have reached without a degree of separation and the unbiased perspective the text offers.

A very good, comprehensive book about manic depression. Recommended for basic understanding and knowledge, but with the understanding that the text leans slightly more on the professional vocabulary so a dictionary at hand would be useful; and it is outdated, so there should be more up-to-date books out there.… (mere)