An Extraordinary Book by an Extraordinary Man
5 out of 5 starsPsychiatry is a complicated business and Michael
Benjamin makes no bones about it. He's dealing with complicated
themes and issues and he goes into these in real depth and I have
to admit that some of them I'm still getting to grips with, but
there are lighter pieces here and some killer jokes, and the book
comes alive with his case studies, which he uses to help readers to
'get' what he's trying to say.The profiles and stories he offers
are gripping and tap into emotions and fears, showing great empathy
for his subjects. And Benjamin is no lover of some of the things
that psychiatry has become and done in the name of science.Viz
Nitza: 'One such lady was beyond any ability to converse with. Her
behaviour was bizarre. She would shaver head or half of it, she
refused to communicate... I stopped the medication saying, "If they
didn't help, why give them?" Then something happened. The lady
became perfectly normal, communicative, smiling, and just very
sweet, ' Makes you weep, it really does.The book is based around
another case study, David, whose father and Benjamin were both in
the same class. David asked Benjamin to mentor him, which he agreed
to do, but before he could David was run over and spent the next
two years unable to talk. I know I couldn't do the sort of things
that Benjamin can and I work in mental health, it's a scary place,
full of brave people like Benjamin, committed to helping some of
the most damaged people in this uncaring society of ours. God bless
him.Buy this book and do your bit. Derek DeatWritten for the layman
or the professional, this is a must read for anyone interested in
the world of psychiatry.Based on his decades of experience in
hospital and community psychiatry, Dr Benjamin gives a fascinating,
in-depth and very wide ranging view of the world of mental health
and ill health.However, there many books out there that do this.
Where Book of David differs is that it is a very personal account
written from a most unusual perspective. Dr Benjamin's writing
style is amusing and his views are frequently challenging and
controversial. He pulls no punches, certainly where the
pharmaceutical profession is concerned. What you get all in one
book is a comprehensive view of how our minds develop and how they
might go wrong, his views on treatment approaches, the organisation
of psychiatric services and the role of the legal profession with
regard to patient's rights.As a general practitioner for over
twenty-seven years and a doctor in aerospace medicine for seventeen
years, I can fully relate to the the story Dr Benjamin has to tell
and its relevance. Joseph G.
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