Mental illness, religion, and the rational mind: The case of Clifford W. Beers

摘要

This article focuses on the mental illness of Clifford W. Beers, who pioneered mental hospital reform in the United States in the early decades of the twentieth century, and the encouragement Beers received from William James in this endeavor. It argues that James supported Beers because he personally identified with the younger man's struggles with mental illness and with the high value that he placed on the vital importance of the rational mind in regaining one's sanity.