No Such Thing as Normal - Disorders, Diagnoses and the Limits of Psychiatry

Psychiatry rests on the belief that mental distress can ultimately be explained by biology: brain structures, chemical imbalances and genetics. Treatments from lobotomies to electroconvulsive therapy to prescription drugs have been touted as cures for ''disorder''. And somewhere along the way, the pharmaceutical industry has leapfrogged its patients, making millions designing drugs to treat disorders, then billions dreaming up disorders that require drugs. We are now diagnosed and treated for mental disorders more than ever, despite increasing evidence that environmental factors play a far greater role than biological ones. Laying out the steps for a mental health system that helps rather than harms, Marieke Bigg asks: how can we heal when faced with an industry that banks on keeping us sick?

About the author

Dr Marieke Bigg holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Cambridge. Her work focused on the role of biological models and biologists in public deliberations on biotechnology and reproductive medicine. She is a trainee psychotherapist and a peer support coordinator at the mental health charity, Mind.

Product details

• Authors: Marieke Bigg
• Publisher: Profile Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 22.05.2025
• EAN: 9781800819016
• ISBN: 978-1-80081-901-6
• No. of pages: 336
• Dimensions: 162 mm x 238 mm x 34 mm
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > Psychology, esoterics, spirituality, anthroposophy > Applied psychology; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories; SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture, Medicine: general issues, popular science, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Disease & Health Issues, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Feminism & Feminist Theory, PSYCHOLOGY / Psychopathology / Eating Disorders, PSYCHOLOGY / Psychopathology / Depression, Psychology: emotions, Mental health services, Feminism & feminist theory, Feminism and feminist theory, Society and Social Sciences, Coping with / advice about mental health issues, Coping with / advice about eating disorders