Sanity, Madness and the Family - R. D. Laing & Aaron Esterson

R. D. Laing and Aaron Esterson present a series of case studies based on interviews with eleven women diagnosed with schizophrenia and their families. Conducted over five years, the research examines family relationships, communication and the conflicting expectations that shaped the women’s lives. The authors challenge conventional psychiatric explanations of schizophrenia, exploring whether experiences labelled as madness can be understood in relation to the social situations in which people live. A significant and controversial work associated with the anti-psychiatry movement, it questions established ideas about mental illness and the role of the family.