A political movement in the United States by consumers and ex-patients of psychiatry has challenged the assumptions and negative consequences of traditional mental health practice and its control by professionals. In recent years, the movement has succeeded in gaining support to produce...

This paper is divided into two parts. In Part I, I contend that the current thrust to synthesize clinical and critical medical anthropology is misdirected and may serve to further fragment, rather than unify their concerns. I then suggest that instead of focusing on their differences, either in...

A market for family therapy workshops has mushroomed in recent years. Treatment of families by therapists conducting such workshops, however, can be dispassionate and dehumanizing. Using the distinction between curing and healing, I do not question the curative potential of family therapy, but I...