That S Mental

"Incredible!"—Samantha Irby, New York Times bestselling author of We Are Never Meeting in Real Life and Meaty Raw, witty, and unapologetic, That’s Mental is a collection of laugh-out-loud funny, confessional essays about the inappropriate, devastating, and strangely amusing side to being mentally ill. In her book, British comedy writer Amanda Rosenberg breaks down myths and misconceptions about what it means to live, laugh, love with bipolar II in a darkly funny, but familiar way. That’s Mental dives head-first into the overlooked and offbeat issues of mental illness, it shines a harsh, fitting room light on thoughts and ideas that are often avoided, because they’re uncomfortable or just downright embarrassing. These pages move through the everyday realities of mental illness, covering everything from, how reaching out for help is a fucking nightmare, to dealing with people who suggest “cures” for your depression, to making up excuses to miss work just so you can take a mental health day. That’s Mental is an uproarious and brutally honest collection of confessions from someone who’s been there, done that, and still has no idea what she’s doing.

“The landmark book that argued that psychiatry consistently expands its definition of mental illness to impose its authority over moral and cultural conflict.” — New York Times The 50th anniversary edition of the most influential critique of psychiatry every written, with a new preface on the age of Prozac and Ritalin and the rise of designer drugs, plus two bonus essays. Thomas Szasz's classic book revolutionized thinking about the nature of the psychiatric profession and the moral implications of its practices. By diagnosing unwanted behavior as mental illness, psychiatrists, Szasz argues, absolve individuals of responsibility for their actions and instead blame their alleged illness. He also critiques Freudian psychology as a pseudoscience and warns against the dangerous overreach of psychiatry into all aspects of modern life.

★ “Informative, diverse, and highly engaging; a much-needed addition to the realm of mental health.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review Featuring real-life stories of people who have found hope and meaning in the midst of life’s struggles, Heads Up: Changing Minds on Mental Health is the go-to guide for teenagers who want to know about mental health, mental illness, trauma and recovery. For too long, mental health problems have been kept in the shadows, leaving people to suffer in silence, or worse, to be feared, bullied or pushed to the margins of society where survival is difficult. This book shines a light on the troubled history of thinking about and treating mental illness and tells the stories of courageous pioneers in the field of psychiatry who fought for more compassionate, respectful and effective treatments. It provides a helpful guide to the major mental health diagnoses along with ideas and resources to support those who are suffering. But it also moves beyond a biomedical focus and considers the latest science that shows how trauma and social inequality impact mental health. The book explores how mental health is more than just “in our heads” and includes the voices of Indigenous people who share a more holistic way of thinking about wellness, balancing mind, body, heart and spirit. Highlighting innovative approaches such as trauma-informed activities like yoga and hip-hop, police mental health teams, and peer support for youth, Heads Up shares the stories of people who are sparking change.

The chapter authors address life transitions and the university student experience, as well as the challenges of caring for university students with mental health issues. The book has positive strategies, including ways to foster mental health for distinct university student populations.

This book makes the case that career development practice is a mental health intervention, and provides skills and strategies to support career development practitioners in their work. It explores how practitioners do more than help people navigate career paths, they change people's lives in ways that improve mental health and overall well-being.

A Japanese Jungian Perspective on Mental Health and Culture: Wandering Madness explores differences between Western and Japanese models of mental health. It argues that while the advent of modern mental health has brought about seminal changes in our understanding of and relationship to those who face its challenges, the cure also seems to be something of the cause, as the classification of mental disorders continues to expand and increasing numbers of people show up to fill them. In this book, psychiatrist and Jungian analyst Iwao Akita presents a new theory of psycheology in order to highlight what has been lost in our rush to medicalize the psyche, as well as offer a remedy for restoring balance. Drawing upon examples from both Japanese and Western cultures, Dr. Akita discusses an alternative perspective to the polarized viewpoint towards which the West tends. He distinguishes the concept of madness from psychopathology and outlines its dynamics through numerous clinical and cultural examples. He describes the underlying dynamics of substance use and personality disorders, makes important links between these conditions, and clarifies how they can develop into madness. With references to familiar stories and myths from Western and Japanese cultures, this book makes an important contribution to our understanding of mental illness and health, while also making us more aware of how these issues are common to the human experience. This book will be of key interest to academics, researchers, and postgraduate students in the fields of psychoanalysis, Jungian and Post-Jungian studies, and mental health studies. It will also appeal to psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, as well as those with a particular interest in substance use, personality disorders, madness, and cross-cultural comparisons of mental health models.

This study traces key developments in theatre’s engagement with mental health since the 1970s. It introduces and applies the concept of the ‘mental health play’ as accurate and timely in addressing the way mental distress and mental illness have been brought to the stage. The study argues that the theatre is a central calibrator for reflecting developments and tensions in, as well as attitudes towards, mental health care, and thus opens up a domain that still has stereotypes and myths attached to it. Theatre’s representations of mental distress inform and shape cultural production and vice versa. Mental health plays are central in encouraging and fostering conversations about mental health, and they thus intervene in ongoing debates. Due to its interdisciplinary approach, this study contributes to and extends existing research in multiple fields, including theatre and science, performance studies, and the medical humanities.

When Kay Parley suffered her first mental breakdown in 1948, she thought it was the end of her life. It turned out to be the beginning.