Here are some of the best books on fearsome institutions, from the horror of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to hopeful recovery stories. Real and fictional mental hospitals in the books are often places filled with terror, manipulation, and danger. Authors regularly use creative techniques to intrigue and intimidate readers with stories of abuse, harassment and corruption. Despite the fact that these things were close to reality several generations ago, there is hope that modern society is moving towards better conditions for the mentally ill.
Throughout my psychotherapy career, I have worked in many institutions for the treatment of the mentally ill and people with addictions, which became the basis for my first novel, "Deception". The book's protagonist, Dr. Samantha James, works at the fictional Tiflos mental institution in Manhattan, which is struggling with funding and overcrowding. Despite the fact that Samantha feels like a cog in the mechanism of bureaucracy, she is a fearless specialist who does everything in her power to find an approach and help her patients, which, fortunately, happens in reality. Balancing on the brink of mental breakdown, Tiflos plays the role of scenery for Samantha's journey, and her life experience is reflected in his chaos.
The books below provide a multifaceted insight into the once existing and modern institutions (for the treatment of mental illness, drug and alcohol addiction), as well as the humanity and compassion that flourish within the walls of these hospitals.
1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
In this clever portrayal of the relationship between patients and Oregon Hospital staff, Kesey addresses critical questions of who is mentally healthy, who is sick, and who determines it. The book is narrated from Chief Bromden's perspective, and the relationship between Randall McMurphy and Nurse Mildred Ratched is a genius example of the horrific power struggle that can exist in hospitals and the terrible abuse of position that is common in such places.
2. "I never promised you a rose garden" by Hannah Green
I first read this book as a teenager, and was amazed at the fictional country of Ir, where the author often went and discussed it with her psychiatrist. The doctors in the book, whose images are inspired by the personality of her real-life therapist, are not convinced that Ir's country is a delusional illusion and base their diagnosis on the idea that she is inventing these illusions in order to impress doctors. While this seems like a step in the wrong direction, doctors are shocked by her ability to create such a magical and comprehensive kingdom and believe it is a sign of a successful future recovery. “I never promised you a rose garden” is a story of hope and understanding that shows what can happen when a patient is able to help himself with his recovery.
3. "Gracefully Mad: The Rise and Fall of America's Major Mental Hospital" by Alex Beam
The McLean Asylum, which is the setting for Under a Glass Jar and Life, Interrupted, is the main character in Beam's nonfiction genre. He describes the hospital in the administrative and clinical planes, as well as in the plane of patients. He examines the history of this enterprise, the society around it and its ultimate destiny. Throughout the decades, during which McLean has served as the backdrop for countless stories of tragedy and recovery, Beam has taken a critical, often aloof and sometimes comical approach to describing and unraveling the mysteries and intricacies of the famous institution.
4. "Girl, Interrupted," Suzanne Keysen
In the memoir, Keysen explores her stay at McLean Hospital, where she was taken after an overdose and later diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Keissen describes the swing between insanity and sanity, and is struggling to determine how she might be categorized unequivocally. The book features detailed portraits of other patients, as well as detailed descriptions of her interactions with staff. The richness of her narrative, combined with an almost panicky presentation, makes us vividly see the life of patients in a mental hospital in the 60s.
5. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
Frey's portrayal of the cold and sterile world inside a drug and alcohol addiction treatment facility, organized with schedules and rules that are inevitably violated, reflects the real corridors of hospitals where I worked as a psychotherapist and counselor. Despite controversy over the veracity of the stories in this book, Frey illustrates his true journey into the hospital and, ultimately, beyond. Millions of Little Pieces also skillfully explores the complex role of the family in the healing process.
6. "It's a very funny story," Ned Vizzini
Vizzini's beautifully told story of being in a psychiatric hospital after the protagonist's suicide attempt becomes more and more convincing and relevant after the author's own suicide. An indigenous New Yorker, Vizzini, has created a semi-autobiographical story of a privileged teenager and New York City, wandering through the depths of depression, which he learns in the course of treatment that he has talents to help in his recovery. This encouraging story highlights an often overlooked promising opportunity in psychiatric treatment.
7. "I know a lot of this is true," Valley Lamb
There is so much going on in this book - the story of the twins, survivor guilt, sexual abuse and self-mutilation - that after reading it, you can't get rid of the feeling of tension and fear. The book’s place for the mentally ill is one of those dangerous and corrupt fictional places that have bewitched and mesmerized readers for generations. Through the twists and turns, the groveling and suffering of heroes, it is ultimately a powerful story of family support and loyalty in the face of serious illness and tragic circumstances.
8. Monkeys by Will Self
The treatment stories for mental illness and addiction are often dull and complex. In fiction and historical depictions, catastrophic outcomes and terrifying environments are ubiquitous. However, Will Self's exceptionally satirical and intriguing novel, where humans and chimpanzees have swapped places in the hierarchy, is great laughter therapy for the reader.
9. "Alice's Diary", anonymous author
While there is a lot of controversy surrounding this book as to whether it is a real diary, I find this fiction to be a great portrayal of the fears and anxieties of adolescence, which, in the main character's case, lead to drug use, which ultimately ends up in a drug clinic. The vulnerability expressed by the author sometimes seems almost unbearable.
10. "Under a glass cover", Sylvia Plath
Perhaps the most famous story of insanity, Under a Jar of Glass became even more poignant after Plath's suicide in 1963. The plot in this partly autobiographical work takes readers on an extraordinary journey through the mind of Esther Greenwood, who gradually loses her mind.The book is based on Plath's personal experience at McLean Hospital and illustrates the story of personality loss with such realism and clarity that the reader cannot help but question his own fragile psyche.
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