AD4E; Crucial Conversations. July 2021. Dr James Davies on his new book, Sedated.

Dr James Davies presents on his new book Sedated; How Modern Capitalism Created Our Mental Health Crisis


https://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/sed...

About James

James Davies is Associate Professor of mental health and social anthropology at the University of Roehampton. He is a qualified psychotherapist (having previously worked in the NHS) and is the co-founder of the Council for Evidence-based Psychiatry (CEP), which is secretariat to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Prescribed Drug Dependence. He has been an expert drug advisor for Public Health England. He is the author of the bestselling book Cracked: Why Psychiatry is Doing More Harm than Good.

About ' Sedated: How Modern Capitalism Created Our Mental Health Crisis'

Sedated: How Modern Capitalism Created Our Mental Health Crisis is a provocative and shocking look at how western society is misunderstanding and mistreating mental health problems, at the depoliticization of distress and just how damaging the privileging of drug treatments for economic and political reasons has been.

In Britain alone, more than 20% of the adult population take a psychiatric drug in any one year. This is an increase of over 500% since 1980 and the numbers continue to grow. Yet, despite this prescription epidemic, levels of distress of all types have increased. Using a wealth of studies, interviews with experts, and detailed analysis, Dr James Davies argues that this is because we have fundamentally mischaracterised the problem. Rather than viewing most mental distress as an understandable reaction to wider societal problems, we have embraced a medical model which situates the problem solely within the sufferer and their brain.

Urgent and persuasive, Sedated systematically examines why this individualistic view of 'mental illness' has been promoted by successive governments and big business - and why it is so misplaced and dangerous.

Endorsements

A wonderful, moving and truly life-changing book. Sedated is an urgent intervention for post-pandemic society, written with expertise and clarity. Warning: it will cause irritation to powerful interests who fear us all becoming better informed about the root causes of so much human suffering. ― Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, former Director of Liberty

James Davies is one of the most important voices on mental health in the world. This is a beautiful and deeply sane book. Everyone who's suffering - and wants to know how to make it stop - should read it right away. ― Johann Hari, author of Lost Connections

In this game-changing polemic, James Davies leaves us in no doubt: to tackle the mental health crisis we need major social and economic reform. ― Nathan Filer, author of This Book will Change Your Mind about Mental Health

James's talk is titled .... The New "Opium of the People" - why our mental health sector has failed.