Book Reviews : Children in Conflict
| Date | 01 March 1975 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455057502200119 |
| Published date | 01 March 1975 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
32
tant
differences
between
the
practice
of
psychiatry
there
and
in
this
coun-
try,
it is
also
true
that
Dr
Szasz’s
main
thesis
may
well
be
applied
here.
He
puts
forward
the
idea
that
psychia-
try
too
often
serves
as
a
convenient
way
of
avoiding
confrontations
with
moral
conflicts
and
social
problems.
His
essays
on
Mental
Health
and
Ide-
ology,
Insanity
Pleas
and
the
Insan-
ity
Verdict,
Mental
Health
Services
in
the
School,
and
Psychiatric
Classi-
fication,
are
perhaps
of
greatest
inter-
est
to
probation
officers
and
are
most
thought-provoking.
Are
we
not
equal-
ly
in
danger
of
confusing
punishment
and
therapy?
Szasz
goes
much
fur-
ther-&dquo;the
concept
of
mental
illness
provides
an
amoral
and
impersonal
‘thing’-an
’illness’-as
an
explana-
tion
for
problems
in
living&dquo;.
He
sees
so-called
Mental
Health
as
this
society’s
credo,
and
in
its
name
those
who
deviate
from
accepted
social
norms
are
persecuted.
His
ideas
are
a
challenge
to
the
current
views
of
the
functions of
psychiatrists,
especially
in
our
own
probation
setting,
and
whether
or
not
they
can
be
sustained
entirely,
are
worthy
of
examination.
WLH
Children
in
Conflict
Morris
Fraser
Pelican
Books,
50p
This
is
a
Pelican
edition
of
the
book
which
is
concerned
with
the
situation
of
children
in
Ulster.
Its
title
is
cur-
rently
somewhat
misleading
in
view
of
the
present
discussions
about
the
CYP
Act,
but
the
&dquo;conflict&dquo;
referred
to
in
the
title
is
a
much
more
horrifying
and
physical
one
than
the
emotional
and
environmental
conflicts
with
which
we
are
usually
concerned.
The
book
depressed
me
considerably-how
can
there
ever
be
a
solution
to
these
children’s
needs?
The
author
suggests
integration
of
education-apart
from
the
very
long-term
results
of
this,
can
it
ever
be
accepted?
If
history
is
to
be
taught
in
such
schools,
for
ex-
ample,
how
will
it
be
presented?
This
book
contains
facts
and
realism,
and
Dr
Fraser
writes
compassionately
and
often
movingly
of
a
society
he
obviously
knows
well
and
loves.
His
book
should
be
read
by
everyone.
WLH
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