ABSTRACT
Family Therapy as an Alternative to Medication critically and passionately explores the concepts and practices that constitute the interface between family systems based psychotherapy and modern biological psychiatry. This diverse collection of essays, eight by psychiatrists, is neither for nor against medication, but takes a skeptical view of the unquestioned dominance that medication-based treatments have achieved among mental health practitioners. Its viewpoint is that therapeutic attention to context and relationships, regularly diminished when medications are prescribed, interferes with the development of psychiatric disorders, adds to maturity, and expands consciousness. Clinical examples, by both practitioners and patients, are used to define potential problems that arise from trying to combine a medical model with family systems work and also illustrate the decision-making processes and methods for applying family systems based therapies. This book will stimulate thoughtful conversation among students and practitioners of all mental health disciplines.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part 1|59 pages
Introduction: Setting the Stage for an Exploration of the Interface of Family Therapy and Medication
chapter Chapter 2|9 pages
When More Is Less: A Common Difficulty in Collaborative Treatment of Human Distress
section |2 pages
Foreword to Chapter 3
chapter Chapter 3|23 pages
Family Healing and Planetary Healing: Three Paradigms in Search of a Culture*
part 2|105 pages
Theoretical Dimensions: Dilemmas and Contradictions in the Approaches of Family Systems Therapy and Psychopharmacological Practice
part 3|44 pages
Political Issues: The Mechanisms Behind the Accelerating Growth of Psychopharmacological Practices
part 4|48 pages
Seeking Health: Clients Describe Their Experiences with Family Therapy and Psychopharmacological Treatment
section |2 pages
An Afterword to the Client Essays
part 5|59 pages
Clinical Illustrations: Systems-Based Practices as Alternatives to the Use of Medication