The Life and Work of Thomas Szasz

The 20th century, though marked by its flirtations with totalitarianism, was also filled with numerous luminaries passionately fighting for human freedom—familiar names like Ayn Rand, Friedrich Hayek, Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard, and Milton Friedman. Less well known, but no less important, was the Hungarian-born psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, who spent his career advocating for medical freedom, patient rights, and an end to psychiatric coercion. Along the way, he courted controversy for daring to challenge the orthodox position on mental illness, drug use, and suicide. Szasz passed away in 2012, but we caught up with his friend and colleague Dr. Jeffrey A. Schaler to share his thoughts and memories of one of psychiatry’s most courageous and iconoclastic figures.