What you never expected about mental institutions and history together
923303
It's an excellent story based on information found in a mental institution. The story itself is fiction, but you can imagine you are there. It jumps from the past to the present, back and forth, till all makes sense at the end.
3939419
Luke Dittrich was haunted by his memories of his sweet grandmother and his somewhat imperious grandfather, and especially by the secret issues that hovered around both of them. As an adult, he learned about a patient known as HM, a young man lobotomized in an attempt to cure his extreme epileptic attacks. HM's fits were lessened, to be sure, but the devastating side effect of the surgery that removed the prefrontal lobes of his brain was complete loss of short term memory. HM's life did not develop into a romantic comedy of errors, but crippled him for life, making it impossible for him to hold a job or even take proper care of his own hygiene.

Dittrich's story moves seamlessly between HM's sad life and the equally sad history of his grandparents'' life together. Grandmother, under extreme stress, experienced psychotic episodes that kept her institutionalized in a Hartford, Connecticut, asylum called the Institute of Living, where she was subjected to a variety of treatments that we today consider inhuman. Much of this treatment was conducted with the approval, and in some cases at the behest, of his grandfather, a world famous brain surgeon whose favorite operation was the prefrontal lobotomy.

Dittrich is clearly troubled, even horrified, by his grandmother's treatment and his grandfather's evident pleasure in performing a surgery that is now considered a form of maiming. He is horrified when he learns that HM's surgery was performed by his grandfather, and becomes obsessed with learning more and more about both HM and his surgeon ancestor.

The result is a striking book that mixes good journalism with personal history and reflection, with many illuminating discoveries along the way. Well written and worth the read.
4622745
"This Republic of Suffering" is a strange book.  A book on of the Civil War, it does not deal with battles but rather their aftermath - the death of over 600,000 soliders (and countless more civilians) as a direct result of the Civil War.  A book that has garnered much attention on the awards front, it reads closer to the text book you would expect from the President of Harvard.

Faust puts out the theory that as a result of the Civil War, how our country viewed death changed dramatically.  Each chapter of the book identifies a separate element from the killing to the burial to how people chose to die to the anonymity of the new type of war presaged by the Civil War.  Taking each chapter individually feels like a tough slog.  Her thesis is incredibly well documented with letters and documents, many of which become repetitious the fourth or fifth time you see a similar quote.  It is only in reading the book as a whole and letting its threads come together that you start to see the bigger picture - that the Civil War created the underpinnings for our social welfare system (small though it may be compared to Europe) today, that the destruction of the Civil War created a search for meaning - accelerated in Europe by WW I - that did not include a God that would allow such terrible, terrible things to happen, that the Civil War did not finish in 1865 but still reverberates today.

In a Victorian culture used to a person dying at home, surrounding by family members, the Civil War was a jarring event.  Faust captures the disconnect it caused quite vividly.  The book, as I stated, is not an easy read.  The writing style is academic in nature rather than narrative.  Yet for those who are willing to invest the time, the energy, they will come out the other side with a better understanding of our society today.
4698605
Over twenty years in the making, this book is a must read for anybody who's ever been disturbed by destructive crowd behavior or the horror of tyrannical rulers. Insights into crowd psychology and the pathology of power are supplied through a wealth of material from such diverse subjects as anthropology, psychology, biology, religion, and literature. However, what emerges is no mere dry academic treatise, but an absolutely fascinating journey through topics such as the rain dances of the Pueblo Indians, the finger exercises of monkeys, and the hallucinations of alcoholics.

Even if you find yourself disagreeing with some of the author's conclusions, you will still find yourself looking at the world in new ways. For example, I will never watch the public actions of an orchestra conductor without trying to glean insights into the nature of power.

In short, this is one of those rare books which makes old, dull things you've known for years suddenly stand up in a whole new dimension.
2280767
Yo reality check none of us was there. Don't blame history on your own short comings. Though babbling about this should be a mental disorder.
4223490
In his new book Cracked, psychotherapist and social anthropologist James Davies seeks to expose the shady underbelly of the psychiatric establishment and the ways in which, whether out of greed, a desire to be taken seriously as a medical profession or simply good intentions gone wrong, it has come to fully embrace the "medical model" of psychiatry, much, as Davies argues, to the detriment of society. According to Davies, the "medical model" takes for granted that mental illness (depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, etc.) is rooted in biological causes, not emotional, spiritual or cultural ones, and therefore must be treated with medication in the same way one might manage one's diabetes with insulin. Although the general public (myself included before reading this book) has come to accept as gospel the various "chemical imbalance" theories that have seeped into popular culture through talk shows, commercials, and doctors, Davies cogently argues that there is currently no objective scientific evidence to substantiate such theories. In other words, at this time, there are no known biological causes for the vast majority of mental illnesses. And, studies repeatedly demonstrate that the pills used to treat mental illness work no better than placebos for the vast majority of people.

This is only the beginning of the book's rather shocking, yet persuasive, claims. Other topis addressed include the Faustian bargain many psychiatrists have entered into with pharmaceutical companies, the ways in which dubious research findings and arbitrary, subjective decisions have governed changes and additions to the DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders--a reference guide doctors use when diagnosing patients with mental illness), the short-term and long-term side effects of psychiatric medication and the ways in which it tends to alter people's personalities, the intriguing ways that culture paves the way for and responds to so-called mental disorders, and (most fascinating for me) the process by which the psychiatric establishment has medicalized every unpleasant feeling we have, thereby stripping our everyday human suffering of its emotional--and perhaps spiritual--significance.

An important and riveting book.
2974741
Very good book I really enjoyed the story lines.  Interesting look at how mental institutions were run years ago and how it affected other people.  Loved the ending.
3576559
Both the historical and contemporary treatment of mental illness rings true. There is something to celebrate in both, but the stories are fittingly bleak. A good read for anyone with a friend or family member struggling with mental illness - and that's most everyone.
3905652
I worked in a mental institution in the70's. The description of the facilities and the hopelessness was accurate. The system wore you down. It was so hard to remain humane. Although this is fiction, I could easily see these characters inhabiting the mental institution where I worked.
3608793
shocking disturbing must read for anyone interested in true history
3770736
The book was written with chapters alternating between the 2 main characters which, for me, was good and kept it interesting. It was well written and informative about insane asylums in the 1930's and later. What horrors and inhumane treatment occurred! Both women were survivors. The secrets kept reminded me that some are meant to protect and others can destroy, or least test all that is within. Great book!
4274869
Excellant chronological review of the Salem trials.  The author starts with a very detailed description of the history leading up to the actual trials.  She gives you a great feel for the many events that shaped peoples minds, attitudes and emotions that built the foundation of fragility, distrust and paranoia in Salem in 1691 & 1692.
  The author then rolls out the meat of the story and shows how the most mundane thing started this runaway train of confusion that snowballed so fast, Salem was engulfed in the whole affair before anyone really understood what was happening.  People never looked at anyone the same way after this.  It was surprising and fascinating to learn that people actually took advantage of the "opportunity" to get revenge on others for the most minute reasons.  This episode really highlights the frailty of the human animal.
  The author also gives you a good look into the personalities of the people involved.  You see them change as time goes on.  They start with the concept that they know whats going on and how to resolve it.  Then, just as quickly, you see them get lost in something that is incomprehensible to them and start to question everything they believe in.  You realize early on that there is nothing unique or unusual about them.  Their just like you and me and we probably wouldn't act much different were it us.
  People used the Bible heavily throughout this time period as a way to combat the evils they believed existed.  Whats interesting is that if you read carefully, the quotes used throughout the book mirror the events that are unfolding.  These Biblical quotes seem to tell the story as it's unfolding before your eyes and you find yourself being an armchair QB, yelling at these people to follow their own ultra-religious views and all this evil would simply go away.
  This book is very heavy in details.  There is an immense amount of information; events, dates, places and names that cannot be read, digested and understood easily.  For myself, I find that books of this nature should be read quickly, not bothering too much with the details.  Wait a couple weeks, then go back and read it again.  You'll understand it much better and the finer points will not seem so overwhelming.  Kind of like building up a tolerance to information overload.
  The book is truely fascinating and digs into many area's that make it a complete work.  Geography (yes, it's more important than you make think), international & domestic politics, law and of course psychology just to name a few.  Anyone interested in this type of history will not find many authors better at explaining reals events than Marilynne Roach.  Another great thing is that everything she writes about can be reaserched independently and you can get caught up in this story very easily.  Lot of late nights in the library.
1980648
Parallel stories, one depicting the horrors of early insane asylums, the other focused on a young woman's experience as a foster child. The stories come together to question definitions of mental illness and to shed light on the experiences of how patients and their families are affected by mental illness. On an even larger level, this is a story about understanding and misunderstanding and the power of love to heal all.
1193700
The five-star rating Im giving Insane: Americas Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness by Alisa Roth is based not on the joy resulting from reading it (there is none!) but rather on the extreme importance of this very in depth treatment of a very difficult issue.

The tremendous inadequacy of our societal treatment of those suffering from mental illness of any sort  whether induced by trauma, unjust economic circumstances, heredity, or even unknown issues  is a foregone conclusion. One need not have actually dealt at a personal level with the myriad problems and injustices of mental illness treated as criminality to be aware of them. However, as Roths epilogue reminded me, I think it is safe to say even the most fortunate and sane among us has in fact been impacted in some way by a circumstance in which a mental health concern of our own, a loved one, or an acquaintance has made this a personal matter. The difficulties have been astronomically increased by the elimination of a genuine mental health care system and the inadequacy and destructiveness of our entire cultural approach to incarceration of vast numbers of people for offenses ranging all the way from misdemeanors to capital crimes without any real logic or rationality.

Although the book is replete with statistics and has ample end notes, what really makes it extremely readable is the authors sparing but effective use of case studies, which, whenever possible, involve real names  specifically dealing with those particular incidents which have been thoroughly discussed in public media. However, far more important in my estimation is the way in which this narrative focuses on the generalized nature of the overlaps between criminal behavior, the excesses resulting from untreated or improperly treated mental illness, the results of excessive drug and alcohol use, and the breaks from normal or controlled behavior resulting from factors such as PTSD or ordinary stress. I became personally cognizant of such a circumstance as a young mother attending graduate school back in the day. There was in the news at that time the horrific story of a woman who had lost it completely while bathing an obstreperous toddler; a glass bottle of shampoo had broken, and in a stress-related psychotic break, the woman had slashed the baby to death with the broken bottle. Having felt similar stress, I thought, There but for the Grace of God! It was at that point when I realized that the line separating sanity from its opposite is sometimes very thin indeed!

In any event, I reiterate that this book is of extreme importance in terms not only of recalling to us what we already know: the states of both mental health care and the system of incarceration in our country are beyond deplorable. It also offers excellent insights into possible attitudinal changes which, if they could be accomplished via education, publicity, and empathy, might indeed result in the absolutely essential sea change which would save not only vast amounts of wasted resources, but even more in terms of averting destroyed lives.
4869426
Many of us professionals have forgotton that some of the pioneers in this field-- in the sixties particularly--had some
very different approaches to treating this Mental "Madness". Esp different from just Meds and restrictions.
While I agree that some of them were amazingly successful---I think it requires a very exact set of conditions and paradigms for those approaches to work.

IF you are interested in this subject, read the Bibliography first, and it will be pretty obvious where the author is coming from.
3293022
this book is research unlike any you've ever seen before.  it includes a combination of autobiography, art, and theory. stephen pfohl has written a daring explanation of (post)modern culture that many readers may at first find quite strange. as i read more and more and got used to pfhol's style, i discovered that this was one of the most readable and remarkable books i had ever ever encountered. pfohl infuses seemingly fictional stories with (dis)autobiography and original research, to make reading this book an exceedingly unique experience. pfohl also acknowledges the (un)limited capacity of the human mind: limitless imagination and each person's limited ability to describe the experiences of others. the book is pieced together in a shocking order and it embodies its main thesis: just as social orders of the past have led to today's culture, a re-arrangement of our experience as social beings can bring about social orders that are more just and more respecting of each person in a way that celebrates difference. while many aspects of pfohl's argument may seem controversial, frightening or impossible, there are many frightening aspects of our current (ultra)modern society that are equally frightening and controversial. i can not thank stephen pfohl enough stirring me to (re)orient into a new way of being. his work is an important and inspiring tribute to all those that our modern world leaves in the shadows.
2528443
This book was a very interesting read. At times, the author goes on a road that I don't follow, but above and beyond, the first person narrative is brilliant. Dealing with mental illness, drug abuse and some very bad behavior without making excuses or apologies, this book chronicles parts of the author's psyche that most of us keep locked away.
My personal favorite was 'Schizophrenia 101'. It is a step by step guide for "new" schizophrenics. Though written with humor, one can't help but wonder if the advice and detailed guide of symptoms and meanings WOULD be a useful tool for people experiencing their first psychotic episode.
I read this book in a day. It's easy to get caught up in the stories, as bizarre or brutal as some may be. It's blunt while poetic, surreal but honest. Not for the faint of heart, you have to be willing to go for a bumpy, engrossing ride.