MYTHS OF MADNESS

Poor stock""? ""Bad blood""? ""People are just born crazy""-- no, they're not, and the genetic guilt, except in very rare cases and conditions, doesn't hold up. Dr. Jackson's book has been written to allay the worries of the general reader although a good deal of it is based on some fairly specialized research in schizophrenia, into which ""madness"" translates most broadly. And there are no reassuringly positive findings to hang on to- it is often, as in dealing with the schizophrenic himself, a one step forward, two steps backward affair; i.e. if genius can often be equated with insanity, still very high IQs match up with stability. Dr. Jackson approaches schizophrenia from the various areas in which research and his own experience have established certain knowns: the genetic; the cultural; the environmental; the family; and the organic. All of his material is interesting, full of odd facts (vitamins as well as genes can raise intelligence) and surprising statistics (in Manhattan, only 18.5% of the population can be given a full clearance on mental health). This would almost substantiate another myth-- everybody except thee and me.