Commonsense Rebellion

Taking Back Your Life from Drugs, Shrinks, Corporations and a World Gone Crazy

By Bruce E Levine

Published 2003 by The Continuum Publishing Group. An earlier edition of this book (2001) was subtitled "Debunking Psychiatry, Confronting Society – an A to Z guide to Rehumanising your Life".

In this ambitious book psychologist Bruce Levine tries to explain why so many people in western societies and the USA in particular are depressed, anxious, bored or addicted to legal or illegal drugs or one of many other self destruction behaviours. In his view it is not enough to blame drug companies and biopsychiatrists for the current epidemic rates of diagnosed mental illness. Instead we need to look at why so many people feel depressed, anxious and bored.

The problem according to the writer is that we have lost our autonomy, lost our confidence in ourselves, our families, our friends and our local communities and instead rely on faceless and ultimately untrustworthy and uncaring institutions to care for our health, to educate us and our children, to provide us with work, food, shelter and entertainment. The term Institutional Illness Web (IIW) is used describe the network of healthcare agencies, government bodies, biopsychiatrists, pharmaceutical companies and much more that have combined to make us sick. Very little escapes the author's tar brush: TV, schools, food, justice systems, advertising, jobs, even the industrial revolution and civilisation itself are identified as malign influences on mental health. The book is formatted into chapters each of which deals with one aspect of the IIW. Bruce often quotes from other authors and many useful references are given.

"Common sense determines that institutional mental health—as well as many of its critics—diverts our attention from a larger issue: an institutional society that is antithetical to autonomy, runs counter to community, and has become dangerously dehumanising. Mass mental illness is one kid of diversion, but a critique of only psychiatry is another".

One thing I really liked about this book is the way Bruce offers alternatives to the things he attacks. He aims to increase our confidence in our own commonsense and our ability to handle life's problems. Here are some quotes from the Chapter entitled "Xanax and Anxiety" which may be of particular interest to visitors to The Trap:
"Institutional mental health, by diagnosing and drugging, in effect shames anxiety." "This is the true value of institutional mental health to institutional society. ... By labelling this severe experience of dissonance a "disease" needing "treatment", institutional mental health stops an inquiry into why society make us so uptight."
"... dismissal of philosophical and spiritual efforts at overcoming anxiety is a prescription to keep us weak".
"Don't be ashamed of your anxiety... Feel proud to the extent you are not drugging it away."

The massive scope of "Commonsense Rebellion" may be overwhelming for readers not already somewhat aware of the pathological links between corporations, governments, and the mental health industry but for those of us ready to be stimulated to think a bit harder about the linkages that exist in our society "Commonsense Rebellion" is an excellent read.

Reviewed by Tina.