First published in 1999, this volume examines the history of psychiatry and pathogenic parenting models over the past two centuries and contains the results of a study carried out by the author on the experiences of the parents of patients with Schizophrenia drawn from a sample of parents of patients in a forensic and a community setting. Michael Ferriter draws out the themes of the rival claims of organic and non-organic explanations of disorder, therapeutic optimism and therapeutic pessimism and rivalry between the medical professions and the non-medical for supremacy in the treatment of the mentally disordered. Ferriter further explores the issues of blame and guilt, the quality of interaction between mental health professionals and parents and the relevance of attribution theory as an explanation of why parents might still experience self-blame, even when they have nothing to blame themselves for.