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  • © 2017

Moral Panics, Mental Illness Stigma, and the Deinstitutionalization Movement in American Popular Culture

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Puts forth a new theory of the "panic figure" in American fiction, drama, television
  • Uses cultural and critical analysis to illustrate the link between mental healthcare discourse and popular representation
  • Offers perspectives on representation of mental illness stigma from the turn of the twentieth century to the end of the twentieth century
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

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Table of contents (5 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-vii
  2. Introduction: Popular Panics

    • Anthony Carlton Cooke
    Pages 1-10
  3. The Forensic Detective as Panic Figure

    • Anthony Carlton Cooke
    Pages 101-138
  4. Back Matter

    Pages 165-191

About this book

This book argues that cultural fascination with the “madperson” stems from the contemporaneous increase of chronically mentally ill persons in public life due to deinstitutionalization—the mental health reform movement leading to the closure of many asylums in favor of outpatient care. Anthony Carlton Cooke explores the reciprocal spheres of influence between deinstitutionalization, representations of the “murderous, mentally ill individual” in the horror, crime, and thriller genres, and the growth of public associations of violent crime with mental illness.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Writing and Linguistics, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, USA

    Anthony Carlton Cooke

About the author

Anthony Carlton Cooke is Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Writing and Linguistics at Georgia Southern University, USA. His work has been published in journals such as Journal of Black Studies and Psychoanalysis, Culture and Society. In addition to his academic work, Anthony has published poetry and fiction in the African American Review and the Arkansas Review.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access