Shrinks: The Untold Story of Psychiatry [Paperback]

An astonishing book: honest, sober, exciting, and humane... [Shrinks] brings you to the very forefront of one of the most amazing medical journeys of our time. --Siddhartha Mukherjee

Psychiatry has come a long way since the days of chaining lunatics in cold cells. But, as Jeffrey Lieberman, MD, reveals in his eye-opening book, the path to legitimacy for the black sheep of medicine has been anything but smooth.

Dr. Lieberman traces the field from its birth as a mystic pseudo-science to its late blooming maturity--beginning after World War II--as a science-driven profession that saves lives. With fascinating case studies and portraits of the field's luminaries--from Sigmund Freud to Eric Kandel--SHRINKS is a gripping read, and an urgent call-to-arms to dispel the stigma of mental illnesses by treating them as diseases rather than unfortunate states of mind.
Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD, is the Lawrence C. Kolb Professor and Chairman of Psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Formerly the President of the American Psychiatric Association, in 2000 was elected to the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine. He lives with his wife and two sons in New York City. A chatty, expert, sometimes scathing but ultimately upbeat account of the history of psychiatry. Natalie Angier,New York Times Book Review& Editors' Choice
Lieberman isn't another muckraker trolling the profession...Well, he may be raking up some old muck, but for good cause...he tells this history in engaging and authoritative detail.
Matthew Hutson,Washington Post An astonishing book: honest, sober, exciting, and humane. Lieberman writes with the authority of an expert, but with the humility of a doctor who has learned to treat the most profound and mysterious forms of mental illnesses. ... This book brings you tló&