Insanity
Insanity, or
madness, is a semi-permanent, severe mental disorder typically stemming from a form of
mental illness.
In some views, what is insane by mainstream definitions is not necessarily a disorder of the mind, but may simply be a different way of being that is judged as unacceptable on social or cultural grounds. This is stronger than the meaning discussed above—in this case, it is implied that what is seen as actual insanity by others is not (and by extension, that there is no mental illness). Since great legal and social consequences are attached to being declared insane (ranging from possibly having one's freedom curtailed by involuntary commitment to escaping punishment by falsely convincing others of insanity), these matters are a source of considerable controversy.
As a state of mental disorder, insanity has historically been attributed to
supernatural or
divine causes where theories of mental illnesses were not developed. Aberrant or destructive behaviour from an individual has been explained as another entity taking over their body (
demonic possession) or as a mental unhinging inflicted by
God or the
gods, as punishment for wrongdoing. In these theories, insanity is an external condition overriding an otherwise sane mind (which may not ever manifest itself). That demonic possession occurs and can be a valid explanation for insanity in some cases is still asserted by some, but this view holds no more than minority acceptance.
Moral insanity was proposed as a category of medical diagnosis by Dr.
James Prichard in 1835. He described it as "a morbid perversion of the natural feelings, affections, inclinations, temper, habits, moral dispositions, and natural impulses, without any remarkable disorder or defect of the intellect or knowing and reasoning faculties, and particularly without any insane illusion or hallucination". Moral insanity was used in Great Britain in the 19th century in court and criminal defense pleas
In
civil law,
insanity renders a person unfit for entering
contracts or other legal obligations. In some judicial systems, it may allow for someone to be
involuntarily committed. Many who support the movement of
anti-psychiatry take the position that mental illness is questionable as a diagnosis either legally or medically, and that claims of insanity should not free said persons from legal responsibility for criminal acts.
In popular culture, something "insane" is something extremely foolish, while persons may be deemed "insane" if their behavior strongly deviates from accepted
social norms. The term is typically negative, but departure from established norms may also be seen as a positive quality; in this case, being "insane" is being daringly unconventional or
individualistic. This use of
insane is illustrated by the following quote from
Henry David Thoreau's
A Plea for Captain John Brown::Many, no doubt, are well disposed, but sluggish by constitution and by habit, and they cannot conceive of a man who is actuated by higher motives than they are. Accordingly they pronounce this man insane, for they know that they could never act as he does, as long as they are themselves.
In this sense, "insanity" is not implied to be an actual disorder, let alone severe.
In
English, the word "sane" shares the
Latin adjective
sanus meaning healthy. The phrase "
mens sana in corpore sano" refers to a "healthy mind in a healthy body". From this perspective, one can see that "insanity" of the mind can also be considered poor "health" of the mind. This of course does not refer to the health of the brain as an organ, though that can affect one's mental health, but rather it refers to the health of the mind itself.
*
Michel Foucault*
Sanity*
Thomas Szasz*
Criminally insane*
Psychosis*
Mad scientist*Rosenhan, David L.
"On Being Sane in Insane Places."
