Remembering Dr. Thomas Szasz

Last Saturday, the world lost a renowned and highly influential psychiatrist at the age of 92. Dr. Thomas Szasz, survived by his two daughters, one brother and a grandson, was a professor emeritus of psychiatry at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. Throughout his lifetime, he wrote hundreds of articles and 35 books, most of which were published by Syracuse University Press. Szasz was recognized for his passion for the field, as well as his psychiatric beliefs that led to the introduction of many new ideas. He continued his research and writing up until his death and his theories will live on in the field of psychiatry for years to come. Syracuse University Press is deeply saddened by the loss, but honored to have had the opportunity to work with such a talented and wonderful man.

Selected Titles from the Thomas Szasz Library:

Suicide Prohibition: The Shame of Medicine (2011)

“Another masterpiece. Szasz has produced a strong philosophical, psychiatric, forensic, sociological, and ethical analysis of suicide. I emphasize sociological, as it is a worthy heir to Durkheim’s classical contribution.”—Henry Lothane, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Psychiatry: The Science of Lies (2008)

“[Thomas Szasz] is the preeminent critic of psychiatry in the world.”
—Richard Vatz, Towson University

The Medication of Everyday Life: Selected Essays (2007)

“[Szasz] continues his iconoclastic career in this short bookof essays spanning much of his professional life. He details how the medical and legal systems have combined to form a new type of government: the pharmacracy…. A wonderful, impassioned book that is, considering the recent media attention to psychopharmaceuticals, a welcome investigation of social ramifications involved.” –Publishers Weekly

The Meaning of Mind: Language, Morality, and Neuroscience (2002)

“Szasz is an original thinker whose theories, though open to challenge, are daring and profound. His new books should appeal not only to those interested in mental illness but to anyone caught up in the ongoing debate about the origin and nature of the mind.” –Publishers Weekly

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