Madness and the Political Divide

Madness and the Political Divide draws on psychiatry and ethics in an attempt to understand and bridge the political divide.

Allen R. Dyer explores meanings of ‘madness’ in different contexts, from the medical world to a contemporary society of ‘alternate realities’. Underlying the denial of reality is the fear of unpleasant realities: existential threats such as global climate change, pandemics, and war increase anxiety and our vulnerability to the false promises of authoritarian leadership and to the erosion of democracy. With reference to psychoanalytic theory, psychology, ethics and philosophy, Dyer explores how we can balance emotions with reasoned action, not overwhelmed by fear nor underwhelmed by denial.

Madness and the Political Divide will be of great interest to psychoanalysts, psychiatrists, and those in other mental health disciplines. It will be highly relevant for academics and scholars in philosophy, history and literature, and to readers interested in ethics, justice and human values.

Author Biography

Allen R. Dyer is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at The George Washington University. He is a graduate of Brown University and received MD and PhD (Ethics) degrees from Duke University. He is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the APA. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Nancy Roeske Award in Recognition of Outstanding and Sustained Contributions to Medical Education, an award and recognition for humanitarian services to the Iraqi people, and the Bruno Lima award for disaster psychiatry.