anti-psychiatry
|an-ti-psy-chi-a-try|
/ˌæn.ti.saɪˈkaɪ.ə.tri/
opposition to psychiatry
Etymology
'anti-psychiatry' originates from Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'ἀντί' meaning 'against') combined with 'psychiatry', which comes via German 'Psychiatrie' ultimately from Greek 'psyche' and 'iatreia', where 'psyche' meant 'soul' and 'iatreia' meant 'medical treatment'.
'psychiatry' changed from the German word 'Psychiatrie' (coined in the early 19th century) into English as 'psychiatry', and the compound 'anti-psychiatry' emerged in English in the mid-20th century to name critiques and movements opposing psychiatric practice (notably prominent in the 1960s with figures like R.D. Laing and Thomas Szasz).
Initially it named organized opposition to psychiatric institutions and certain treatments; over time the term has covered a wider range of critiques (from radical abolitionism to reformist criticism) and has sometimes been used as a pejorative label for skeptics of mainstream psychiatry.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a social and intellectual movement (and stance) critical of psychiatry as a medical and social institution, questioning its diagnostic categories, treatments (e.g., involuntary hospitalization, electroconvulsive therapy, psychiatric drugs), and authority over mental distress.
She became active in the anti-psychiatry movement during the 1960s, criticizing involuntary hospitalization and compulsory treatments.
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Adjective 1
describing attitudes, arguments, or actions that oppose or are highly critical of psychiatry and psychiatric practices.
The book presented an anti-psychiatry critique of diagnostic labeling and the overuse of medication.
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Last updated: 2025/11/17 02:26