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Saturday, 15 June 2019

Laing's Psychiatric Schizophrenic Healing Autobiography Wisdom


By Donald Lewis


When it comes to writers familiar with psychiatry and theory, the late Ronald David Laing was one of the best. For, Laing had a lot of experience in the area even after having to repeat a series of college exams. In a partial psychiatric schizophrenic healing autobiography wisdom, madness and folly, Laing suggests that the failure was due to remarks made at a university function rather than actual test scores on a number of tests.

Laing, a Scottish psychiatrist and author whom wrote extensively on the topic of mental illness, especially psychosis has numerous book and film credits. Most of Laing's views can be attributed to treatments related to psychopathological phenomena. In most cases, due to the unorthodox treatments the psychiatrist prescribed for clients which were influenced through the study of existential philosophy.

With views which often ran clockwise to orthodoxy in treatment such as medications and electroshock therapy, there was often a great deal of controversy with regards to Laing's work. Regardless, as the psychiatrist saw the feelings of clients as reality rather than symptoms, Laing often saw positive results. Whereas, when it came to schizophrenia and psychosis, Laing saw both as theories rather than mental illnesses.

While labeled as anti-psychiatry, Laing rejected such labeling. At the same time, most had already labeled the psychiatrist a conservative free thinker. In large part, this label was due more to political affiliations rather than the unorthodox practice provided numerous clients as a psychiatrist.

The 2017 film, Mad to Be Normal focuses on Laing's unconventional work in the field of psychiatry. The film portrays the psychiatrist in the 1960s revealing the approach Laing took with regards to the unique community built for clients and unorthodox treatments provided at the time. While this is the case, this is just one of the many films in which the psychiatrist played a part. Whereas, there have been a number of books including the autobiography in which readers can learn a great deal more about Laing, life and the unconventional wisdom placed on society at large during a life well lived.

Even as a child in grammar school, Laing was being labeled as competitive, clever and precocious. For, unlike other children of the same age, Laing loved reading books, participating in track and field and later, becoming a musician and associate at the Royal College of Music. After which, Laing attended medical school and eventually graduated as a mental health care provider from the University of Glasgow.

During studies at Glasgow, the student set up a club related to the Socratic Oath, acquiring Philosopher Bertand Russell as president. While successful at setting up the club, Laing failed the first set of exams. Then, after serving as an assistant in mental health ward for 6 months, returned and retook and passed the exams.

Ultimately, while Laing continued to pursue this direction in the field of psychiatry, colleagues continued to reject the ideology presented by the psychiatrist. For, most disagreed with the overwhelming opposition Laing held toward electroshock, insulin shock therapy and medication. Still, Laing moved on providing unorthodox treatment to those whom shared in the same ideology, philosophy and theoretical beliefs and continued to reject the so-called norm when it came to ongoing and more conventional treatments.




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