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"Looking back through history, I see no evidence for humanity making the best of things, and I think it's a pretty safe bet that's an on-going trend."
- Richard Morgan

Bendix Anxiety Reducer  
  Machine-based psychotherapy.  

Elwood Caswell knew he was a homicidal maniac. That's why he hurried into the Home Therapy Appliances Store.

"Oh," said the clerk, glancing distrustfully at Caswell's bloodshot eyes. "You seem a little nervous. Perhaps the portable Bendix Anxiety Reducer."


(Mechanotherapy devices from 'Bad Medicine')

"Anxiety's not my ticket either. What have you got for homicidal mania?"

Technovelgy from Bad Medicine, by Robert Sheckley.
Published by Galaxy in 1956
Additional resources -

Science fiction readers have had plenty of sessions with computer therapists; consider the Sigfrid von Shrink from Frederik Pohl's 1970 novel Gateway, Dr. Smile from Philip K. Dick's 1965 novel The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch and the machine psychologists from James Blish's 1957 novel Cities in Flight.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Bad Medicine
  More Ideas and Technology by Robert Sheckley
  Tech news articles related to Bad Medicine
  Tech news articles related to works by Robert Sheckley

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