Women and Madness
The single most important work on women and mental "health" and "illness," this book has revolutionized psychiatry since its publication in 1972.  It is not an exaggeration to say that Phyllis Chesler gave birth to what is now known as feminist therapy through her analysis of how patriarchy shapes our definitions of madness, and of how psychiatry is used as a form of social control.  What she shows is that women are defined as mad when they deviate from sex role stereotyping; that sex, class, race and marital status affect the likelihood of a woman being diagnosed as mad, and further determine her actual diagnosis or "type" of madness.  And although much has changed in the world of therapy and psychology, this book remains as timely and significant today as it did over 20 years ago. --FromThe WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the Community for Women; review by Patricia Pettijohn--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.