The achievable dream of a humane psychiatry: A tribute to John S. Strauss

Abstract

ABSTRACT John S. Strauss is a unique culture carrier for humane and optimistic mental health care. Swimming against the tide of hard reductionism of recent decades and transcending the earlier reductionism of psychoanalysis, his life and work illustrate the value of an integrative approach. Respect for and faith in evidence-based psychosocial are essential features of a mature psychiatry and enhance and complement the neuroscientific perspective. John S. Strauss has kept this flame alive in the U.S. and has inspired so many others worldwide to embrace this essential dimension of mental health care. The task of integration of the diverse perspectives in mental health continues but thanks to John S. Strauss, we know it is an achievable dream.