Are hallucinations and delusions really symptoms of an illness called 'schizophrenia'? Are mental health problems really caused by chemical imbalances and genetic predispositions? Are psychiatric drugs as effective and safe as the drug companies claim? Is madness preventable?

Preface to 1st edition. Preface to 2nd edition. Forewords. Part I: The Illness Model of Psychosis and 'Schizophrenia'. Read, Mosher, Bentall, 'Schizophrenia' is Not an Illness. Read, A History of Madness. Read, The Invention of 'Schizophrenia': Kraepelin and Bleuler. Read, Masson, Genetics, Eugenics and the Mass Murder of 'Schizophrenics'. Read, Does 'Schizophrenia' Exist? Reliability and Validity. Read, Biological Psychiatry's Lost Cause: The 'Schizophrenic' Brain. Joseph, Schizophrenia and Heredity: Why the Emperor has no Genes. Read, Bentall, Johnstone, Fosse, Bracken, Electroconvulsive therapy. Hutton, Weinmann, Bola, Read, Anti-psychotic drugs. Mosher, Gosden, Beder, Drug Companies and Schizophrenia: Unbridled Capitalism Meets Madness. Part II: Social and Psychological Approaches to Understanding Madness. Read, Magliano, Beavan, Public Beliefs about the Causes of 'Schizophrenia': Bad Things Happen and can Drive you Crazy. Read, Haslam, Magliano, Prejudice, Stigma and 'Schizophrenia': The Role of Bio-Genetic Ideology. Geekie, Listening to the Voices we Hear: Clients' Understandings of Psychotic Experiences. Read, Johnstone, Taitimu, Psychosis, Poverty and Ethnicity. Read, Beavan, Gender and Psychosis. Bentall, Understanding Psychotic Symptoms: Cognitive and Integrative Models. Koehler, Silver, Karon, Psychodynamic Approaches to Psychosis: Defences against Terror. Read, Childhood Adversity and Psychosis: From Heresy to Certainty. Read, Seymour, Psychosis and Families: Intergenerational Parenting Problems. PART III: Social and Psychological Approaches to Responding to Madness. Clements, Davies, Prevention of Psychosis: Creating Societies Where More People Flourish. Dillon, Bullimore, Lampshire, Chamberlain, The Work of Experience Based Experts. Morrison, Cognitive Therapy for People with Psychosis. Summers, Rosenbaum, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Psychosis: Empirical Evidence. Johannessen, Joa, Klarsen, Langeveld, The Development of Early Intervention Services. Mosher, Bola, Non-Hospital, Non-Medication Interventions in First Episode Psychosis. Aderhold, Gottwalz, Family Therapy and Psychosis: Replacing Ideology with Openness. Read, Dillon, Creating Evidence-Based, Effective and Humane Mental Health Services: Overcoming Barriers to a Paradigm Shift.