“Mental illness does not exist”

Claim: "Psychiatric diagnosis of mental illness is inherently erroneous because there is no such thing as mental illness” (Robitscher 1982).

Despite the moral basis for the insanity defense, justified concerns exist and deserve examination. Although not popularly held, one objection to the insanity defense is that it is unnecessary because mental illness is a myth. Thomas Szasz, a psychiatrist and an abolitionist, proposed a theory that “psychiatric diagnosis of mental illness is inherently erroneous because there is no such thing as mental illness” (Robitscher 1982). From his extreme position, Szasz claims that mental illness cannot be categorized as an actual disease. Szasz asserts that illnesses occur only when the physical body deviates from a structural or functional norm. For example, if an individual develops strep throat, that can be considered an illness because the lining of the throat cavity is compromised with sores. Meanwhile, he argues that since mental issues do not involve the same physical complications, they cannot be considered actual illnesses. Instead, he argues that what we understand as “mental illnesses” are nothing more than emotional responses to lived experiences. For example, if an individual experiences extreme sadness or despondency, that emotion must stem from unfortunate circumstances rather than clinical depression. Under Szasz’s premises, he argues that since it is “impossible to separate the ‘insane’ from the rest of society, no insanity plea is humanitarian” (Robistscher 1982). Szasz’s concludes that the insanity plea must be morally wrong because it excuses individuals based upon an illness that does not exist. He argues that precluding such a class of individuals from personal responsibility is unfair to the rest of society.

Response: The claim that mental illness does not exist contradicts scientific fact.

His argument is logically valid, but unsound. While Szasz’s conclusion follows logically from his premises, his premises contradict scientific fact. Empirical evidence has established that there is a definitive link between biological evidence and mental illness. For example, research has confirmed that individuals with depression have an overactive area of the brain, called Brodmann area 25. Moreover, Schizophrenia has been linked to mutations in specific genes, while other diseases such as PTSD and autism have been linked to specific brain abnormalities (NIH 2016). Overwhelming, the scientific community accepts that mental illness exists as an actual disease with physical implications. Therefore, Szasz’s argument that mental illness is a myth rather than a fact stands in direct contrast to scientific evidence.