I’m a huge fan of Szasz. He doesn’t say the metaphor ‘mental illness’ doesn’t exist, he says human suffering is often referred to metaphorically. What ever the cause of the person’s suffering, it should be up to the person to find out … and any help received, by implication, is not forced upon them but provided with their consent.
It will take courage for many to confront what Szasz is saying because it means re-examining the basis upon which one’s problems rest. Just that act, alone, can require a lot of courage because nobody likes to have to consider the possibility they missed something - especially where people’s lives and livelihoods were at stake.
MMMark, you put forth very solid reasoning… more power to you and your keyboard.