Books on madness

[infinity]

HI has any one read any good non fictional books about madness or books by madmen or women? I'm considering Madness and Civilization by foucault. but I would also like to consider autobiographies. Also has anyone read any Mad authors in fiction??

[Echo]

One book that I have found really interesting is Women of the Asylum: Voices From Behind the Walls, 1840-1945 by Jeffery Geller. It includes first-hand accounts of the experiences of women in mental institutions in the U.S., and also the history of how women's mental health was treated during each time period.

 

Some more from my wish list (obviously, the is a topic I'm very interested in):

 

 

Masters of the Mind: Exploring the Story of Mental Illness from Ancient Times to the New Millennium

by Theodore Millon

 

Madmen: A Social History of Madhouses, Mad Doctors & Lunatic​s

by Roy Porter

 

The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness

by Jack El-Hai

 

Will There Really Be a Morning?

by Frances Farmer (memoir)

 

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

by Joanne Greenberg (fiction)

[poppy]

I've read a lot of books about various psychiatric illnesses but having a psychiatric illness does not mean you are mad. What is your definition of madness?

 

Welcome To My Country (A Therapists Memoir of Madness) by Lauren Slater is an excellent book. The writing is almost lyrical and the author had suffered from a mental disorder which made her amazingly compassionate and accepting of the people she dealt with.

[infinity]

thanks for the list echo, 'masters of the mind' looks interesting, and I read a brief history of madness by Roy Porter, so I will look into 'madmen:..'

 

poppy, as to what my definition of madness is.., I'm not sure if I can answer that. Only that personally, I would much rather be described as mad then be termed mentally ill. I tend to think that madness is an external issue and not only involves the madman but the environment which possibly makes them 'mad' or termed mad. I tend to think 'Mental illness' is just a new word for an age old struggle. I suppose I have a bit of a spiritual/mythological bent on madness and believe that ancient ecstaticism and modern day psychosis may be one of the same only that societies reception to it has changed.

I'm not sure if I've given you my definition sorry, but more my line of inquiry I think...

[poppy]

That's interesting infinity, I agree it's hard to differentiate between a spiritual experience or enlightenment and some sort of psychosis or manic episode. It could be argued it's the same thing.

[Brida]

Well I'm not sure if this is something you'd be interested in, but how about Herzog by Saul Bellow ?

I haven't finished it yet, but it's been great so far.

(I've actually started reading it 3 times so far, and I've never finished it for various reasons )

 

Here's the synopsis :

Herzog is alone, now that Madeleine has left him for his best friend. Solitary, in a crumbling house which he shares with rats, he is buffeted by a whirlwind of mental activity. People rumoured that his mind had collapsed. But was it true? Locked for days in the custody of his rambling memories, Herzog scrawls frantic letters which he never mails. His mind buzzes with conundrums and polemics, writing in a spectacular intellectual labyrinth. Is he crazy, or is he a genius?..

 

Edit: I should probably add that this synopsis makes it sound like a light read, which it is not

Or so I think.

Edited August 4, 2010 by Brida

[Lucybird]

Well I read a lot of psychology and am surprised I can't think of much to recommend, I guess I read less about mental health. Still you could try Running with Scissors- Augusten Burroughs (we read this as a book circle book last year). You could try The Bell Jar too, it's fiction but based on real life. Oh and Girl Interrrupted.

[Kimmy619]

I would highly recommend The Bell Jar.

[Weave]

The Faber Book of Madness by Roy Porter ~

 

Madness evades definition, divides opinion and frightens and touches us all. In his classic anthology, the late Roy Porter compiled a brilliant and comprehensive selection of writings - from George III to Nijinsky, Shakespeare to Poe, John Clare to Robert Schumann, and Nietszche to Artaud - to offer a unique entrée and guide to this most mysterious of worlds.

 

[Echo]

I love The Bell Jar, it's one of my all-time favorites. I wasn't very impressed with Girl, Interrupted, though.

[BookJumper]

I don't know if this would be of interest to you but I'm going to recommend it anyway, as it's just that good.

 

Erasmus (aka Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, aka the philosopher and theologian who - when he got some money - bought books, and food & clothes only if he had any money left over) has written a brilliant, funny, poignant, important and actually really accessible treatise called The Praise of Folly, about the wisdom of mad people.

 

You won't regret trusting me, I promise.

[infinity]

Thanks so much guys

I'm putting, 'The bell Jar', 'Faber book of madness' and 'Praise of folly' on my high priority wish list!

[BookJumper]

Yay happy reading! Am really anxious to hear your thoughts on Praise of Folly, so please share them when you're done...?

[ian]

I could recommend "The Breaking Point" by Daphne Du Maurier. It's a collection of 8 short stories written by her when she was on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Writing these stories formed part of her cure

 

Ian

[Roland Butter]

A colleague at work has read "Mad, Bad and Sad: The History of Women and the Mind Doctors from 1800" by Lisa Appignanesi and speaks highly of it.

[Scarlette]

I don't think it's been mentioned, yet, but One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey offers an interesting glimpse into mental hospital goings on.

[aviv chadash]

I recommend Richard Bentall's Madness Explained: Psychosis and Human Nature.

With non-fiction books on mental health issues I think you have to be careful because there is a slight sense of 'them and us' between psychiatrists and psychologists (or more specifically, whether certain mental health issues are hereditary or wheher they're a consequence of envrionmental factors, or both)! I thought this book by Bentall was extremely interesting and fairly balanced. He cites sources to support his points and lays out arguments for all sides. I also recently found out that he has a another book, although the title doesn't suggest that it's as balanced...

Edited August 5, 2010 by aviv chadash

[Echo]

Another one that I really, really recommend are the short stories of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, especially "Spinning Gears", "Death Register", and "The Life of a Stupid Man". You can find them in the collection Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories, which is an excellent collection of his best stories. The final stories, which include the 3 I recommended, tell the story of Akutagawa's own mental breakdown and are extremely haunting and poignant.