My Madness Saved Me

In this work, Thomas Szasz examines the life and treatment of Virginia Woolf to argue that her behavior was mischaracterized as mental illness and that psychiatric labels often serve social functions rather than medical ones.

Szasz uses Woolf's case to illustrate his broader critique of psychiatry, challenging the medicalization of behaviors and emotions.

He contends that many psychiatric diagnoses are not comparable to physical diseases because they lack objective biological markers.

The book situates Woolf's experiences within historical and cultural contexts, questioning whether treatment aimed at 'curing' her was appropriate or necessary.

Szasz's arguments contributed to his wider reputation as a dissenter who saw psychiatry as a coercive social institution.