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I read a short story in an anthology. It is set in a future where an authoritarian government has outlawed psychology and therapy. The protagonist is a former psychologist who agrees to treat a man who says he is suffering from delusions. After the course of treatment, the patient says that he is cured and now understands that the only rational action he can take is to assassinate the head of the government.

I don't remember the book cover. It was an anthology of short stories by different authors.

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  • Lol. It sounds like outlawing therapy was a damned good idea. Commented 2 days ago
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    Philip K. Dick? If your psychologist is the last psychanalyst in the US, that must be it. Can't recall the title of the story. Commented 2 days ago
  • I'm sure I read it in English, from a collection of short stories of his: no help there. Commented 2 days ago
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    @FrançoisJurain It seems Philip K Dick has written so much about psychiatry and in particular about psychoanalysis that there is a 17-page research paper about it: A Timeline of Psychiatry in Novels of Philip K. Dick.pdf Commented yesterday
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    @Valorum, that depends on who the leader is. There were lots of Germans during WWII that realized the "only rational action" was to assassinate Hitler. And many tried, including his own generals. It would have been a world changing event if one had succeeded early on and our history would be completely different. Many people would like to think it would have been better, since then their families wouldn't have been wiped out. Commented 17 hours ago

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This is J.G. Ballard's "The Insane Ones" from AMAZING STORIES January 1962. Here's my summary:

His work displays a preoccupation with psychological themes, and this is no exception: an ultraconservative world government has outlawed mental health treatment. Everybody has the right to be insane, but remains criminally responsible for conduct. The result: "psychotics loitering like stray dogs in the up-town parks, wise enough not to shop-lift or cause trouble, but a petty nuisance on the cafe terraces, knocking on hotel-rooms at all hours of the night."

Quoting a review from Galactic Journey:

Dr. Gregory, just released from prison for continuing to practice psychiatry, encounters a troubled young woman who kills herself when she can’t get any help from him. Then he finds a disturbed young man, Christian, rifling his suitcase for barbiturates to keep himself from trying to kill the leader of the government. Gregory yields and renders covert and cursory treatment—and Christian then sets off to kill the world leader, saying he is completely rational and someone has to do it. He drives off, with Gregory chasing after him, yelling "Christian, you’re insane!" This is not one of Ballard’s best: the idea is interesting but underdeveloped at this short length. But even in this minor and facile (that word again) story Ballard’s style is vivid and incisive and one hopes that he will now appear regularly in the US.

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  • This is it. Thank you Commented yesterday

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