The Protest Psychosis

Book by Jonathan Metzl

Cover of The Protest Psychosis

The Protest Psychosis: How Schizophrenia Became a Black Disease is a book by Jonathan Metzl, published in 2010. The book explores the racialization of schizophrenia in the United States, particularly how the diagnosis became associated with African American men during the civil rights era. Metzl, a psychiatrist and cultural historian, uses the book to examine the intersection of race, psychiatry, and social justice.

Background

During the 1960s and 1970s, the United States experienced significant social upheaval, with the Civil Rights Movement challenging systemic racism and advocating for the rights of African Americans. In this context, Metzl argues that schizophrenia was increasingly diagnosed in African American men, often in ways that reflected societal fears of black militancy and protest.

Content

The Protest Psychosis delves into the history of psychiatric diagnoses and how they have been influenced by cultural and political factors. Metzl uses case studies from the Ionia State Hospital in Michigan, where many African American men were diagnosed with schizophrenia. He highlights how the language used in psychiatric literature and advertisements shifted during this period.

Advertisement for Haldol, a drug used to treat schizophrenia, from 1974

Diagnosis and Race

Metzl discusses how the criteria for diagnosing schizophrenia changed over time. Initially, schizophrenia was seen as a disease affecting non-violent, white women. However, by the 1960s, the image of the "schizophrenic" had shifted to that of an angry, aggressive black man. This shift was reflected in psychiatric literature and drug advertisements, which began to depict schizophrenia as a disorder characterized by hostility and aggression.

Cultural and Political Influences

The book examines how cultural and political contexts influenced psychiatric practices. Metzl argues that the civil rights protests and the rise of the Black Power movement were perceived as threats by the predominantly white psychiatric establishment. This perception led to a pathologization of black protest, with schizophrenia being used as a tool to control and marginalize African American men.

Impact and Reception

The Protest Psychosis has been praised for its insightful analysis of the intersection between race and psychiatry. It has sparked discussions about the role of psychiatry in perpetuating racial stereotypes and the need for more culturally sensitive approaches to mental health care.

Related pages

• Schizophrenia
• Civil Rights Movement
• Black Power movement
• Racism in the United States
• History of psychiatry