Interpretations of schizophrenia

Telling stories: Life histories, illness narratives, and institutional landscapes

“…Indeed, as Finbar points out, in popular perception of mental illness in the United States and Europe, to the extent that others with major mental illnesses are dangerous or hopeless, then they are often assumed to be "a bit schizophrenic." This popular attitude finds support in rates of recovery of schizophrenia in industrialized nations being very much lower than in less industrialized ones (Warner 1985; see also Barrett 1988).…”

Illness, Family Theory, and Family Therapy: I.Conceptual Issues

“…In discussing the concept of illness, we begin by describing what we believe has been a broad view that has been generally accepted historically and cross-culturally. Prototypically, illness has been defined as a construct used to explain certain nonvolitional, maladaptive patterns of distress and/or behavior that impair an individual's capacity to function (Barrett, 1988). However, such a definition barely starts to convey the rich complex of meanings and perspectives associated with this phenomenon that can, but need not be viewed reductionistically.…”

Cervantes' puzzle ? A commentary on Alex Cohen's ?Prognosis for Schizophrenia in the third world: A reevaluation of cross-cultural research?

“…Feuerbaeh, Marx and all the other usual suspects. 17 See, for example, Barrett 1988, Fabrega (1987; see also Hughes' (1989) response to the latter article). 12 There is, if recollection serves, a good deal of work among latter-day theologians and sociologists of religion on the resiliency of belief, on what counts as faith, on replacing a "God that failed" with another, more credible one.…”