“Some people are born mad, some achieve madness and some have it thrust upon them.” Who now remembers R D “Ronnie” Laing? In that garlanded decade known as the Sixties (which went on well into the seventies), he was the most famous psychiatrist in the world; some regard him as the successor to Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.1 He was the leading figure in the British anti-psychiatry movement. His books sold thousands of copies, were reprinted and translated into many languages. He gave lectures around the world, was a regular guest on radio and television shows, read his poetry to audiences and even made a record. He is the only psychiatrist to have his portrait hung in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery...
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