| Niall "Jock" McLaren, M.D. takes the scattered, flawed and outdated theories of psychiatry to task in his ground-breaking book "Humanizing Madness: Psychiatry and the Cognitive Neurosciences, an Application of the Philosophy of Science to Psychiatry."
Book Details a New, General Theory for Psychiatry As anyone who has ever taken even the most basic, entry-level psychiatry course knows, the field of psychiatry is characterized by several contrary theories, running the gamut from biological to behavioral psychology. As a student, Niall "Jock" McLaren, M.D. was disturbed that one correct scientific model did not exist: each major theory of psychiatry was taught independently, as if all the others were irrelevant. Just days after passing his final exams, McLaren decided to write a definitive scientific model for psychiatry; now, 30 years of research later, he introduces his innovative model in Humanizing Madness: Psychiatry and the Cognitive Neurosciences, an Application of the Philosophy of Science to Psychiatry.
Humanizing Madness details McLaren's new model of normal mental function, which serves as a basis for his general theory of psychiatry. From this, he was able to create a new, dynamic model of mental disorders. His model makes a sharp distinction between the mind and the brain and predicts that with some disorders, people can be mentally ill, yet with perfectly healthy brains. In other words, he does not believe that all mental illness is due to a "chemical imbalance" of the brain.
McLaren's main complaint with the current state of the psychiatry field is the lack of critical discussion on the existing theories. "I believe psychiatry is long overdue for a revolution," McLaren says. "It needs to be dragged out of the 19th century--when all its major theories were formulated--into the modern era." If the general public and psychiatrists open their minds to fresh new ideas, Humanizing Madness has a chance to be the first step toward significant transformation in the practice, research and teaching of psychiatry.
Niall "Jock" McLaren, M.D. resides near Darwin, Australia with his family. He earned his master's in psychiatry from the University of Western Australia in 1977, and has been a practicing psychiatrist since that time. After graduating, he undertook a far-reaching research program, some of which has previously been published.
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