The Paradox of Mental Health

In the Paradox of Mental Health, the authors argue that our society is experiencing another pandemic—one of mental illness. This mental illness pandemic is maintained and escalated by conceptual "viruses" rooted in the normative, psychological medical model paradigm consistent with Western ideology. Therapeutic practice based on systems theory and social constructionism is offered as an antidote to alleviate the over-reliance on the medical model. The authors first "do therapy" on the concept of the normative, medical model; then explicate the concepts and application of systems theory and social constructionism; and finally, offer potential solutions to the mental illness pandemic.