mesy_mark's reviews
748 reviews

Committed: Dispatches from a Psychiatrist in Training by Adam Stern

medium-paced

2.0

I was expecting more of an intro to the training, and the patient Stern came across as he trained as a psychiatrist.  It was light with that and more on the relationship with Rachel as they go from friends to more.  The few cases mentioned seemed more like interludes as he courted  his now wife

Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness & the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls by Kathleen Hale

dark emotional medium-paced

3.0

This account of how two friends attempted to murder a friend is gripping.  Mainly in Morgan's orientation, where we see how she has failed through the system.  Her parents ignored the subtle SZ symptoms, and teachers thought of them as a way to get attention.  Only Payton was her friend. But as Morgan grew sicker, she interwove another newer friend into her delusions, leading to the attempted murder of Payton/

While this is an inclusive account, only morgan and her family agreed to the interviews, neither the codenfendt and Payton wished to be interviews. So majority of this book was pon Morgan's state of mind and insights.  And a look into a justice system where kids are being treated as adults and the  mentally ill suffer.

EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychology: Interventions to Enhance Embodiment in Trauma Treatment by Robin Shapiro, Arielle Schwartz, Barb Maiberger

challenging informative inspiring reflective

3.5

A very detailed approach for therapists to understand  EMDR and somatic psychology.  As well as having prompts and guides to engage with therapeutics.

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This sapphic story was okay.  I like how Phobe was throughout the book, and Grace was okay.  It seemed that Grace was only a soccer player, and Phobe was a little more well-rounded.  I don't know much on soccer, so I had trouble following that part of the story.  I dig The FWB relationship. I dig it.  I loved that part of the story.  I am not used to seeing that in lit.  Since I listened to the book, both narrators were disent enough from each other that it never left me guessing whos POV I was n.

Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks

informative relaxing medium-paced

3.0

Focusing on organic sources of hallucinations this book has covered very interesting cases.  Blind can see, hearing in the deaf, an illness that causes hallucinations but is not psychological.   who knew one could hallucinate in a variety of ways.  I also learned that the author had done a shit ton of drugs that caused hallucinations.  And drug-induced hallucinations were explored as well.  Overall I liked the formatting and written material.  Jargon is clearly explained.  The narrator's voice is easy to understand even on 2.7x speed.

Crazy a fathers search through americas mental health madness by Pete Earley

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

3.75

I liked this way of looking at the mental health system as it collides with the new state hospitals, I mean jails.  The mentally ill have been left to die sick versus get help with forced treatment.  I see both sides to the controversy of forcing a medicating a mentally ill person and having the right to refuse medication.  I come at this as a consumer.  This book shows that the people in jails for crimes while mentally ill get no help.  All that matters is being competent to stand trial, and that is hard enough since many mentally ill inmates go through years-long cycles of treatment in hospitals to jail only to decompensate and return to the hospital and on trepeaat.    This book shows where the lack of treatment turns some cases into lost souls as prolonged lack of treatment has damaged them.  

We also have the journalist's son who enters the system when a psychotic breaks into a home and takes a bubble bath.  How even though clearly seen as mentally ill and unaware that he did anything wrong (or could even identify the location he broke into) he faces court as if he did it in a sane mind.

It really shows the broken system.

Overall, the facts were presented well, and in the audiobook version, the narration was clear and listen-sble.  The way he presented the cases he followed and his son was about the same, like a journal article.  I did not feel overtly emotional in his memoir parts, more like a more in-depth study of the system it just happened to be from his son.  

Midnights Like This by Max Walker

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Infectious Madness: The Surprising Science of How We "Catch" Mental Illness by Harriet A. Washington

informative reflective medium-paced

2.75

 Catch, now you have it! This book that is,explaining how some pathogens and disease d are than physically affect the body. It may also Infect the mind ending t symptoms of mental illness.

It was interesting learning about infections that produced symptoms of mental illness. I knew of two coming into this text and left with knowledge of more. The jargn in this book is explained well. The text is not dry. Overall well presented. 

The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by bell hooks

challenging reflective medium-paced

3.0

This was interesting in seeing how patriarchy effects men. And how men just want love to but in a patriarchal society love is not what men and boys are getting

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

This is a no for me.  Maybe not the best way to be introduced to an author but I had issues with the book.  One was the Insta love was hella instant. Eli was basically hello R and then devoted his whole life to her before even knowing her name.  It felt like it was just shoved together as lovers in the same sentence as knowing each of their names.  And Eli's way of wanting Rue from time to time put me more on the worry end not how devoted he is.  He talked about kidnapping her in phrasing that would have me disturbed and not in love with them.   To continue with the love part of this erotica, the sex since was underwhelming (and magical penis? to cure Rue no penetration sex request?)   And they also seemed  (except for the 1st encounter)  stuffed in there- the chemistry between the two is mute.  Just someone obsessed with one that prefers one-night stands


Onto the no-sex side of the book, it could have been described more.  It just seemed like stuff was happening outside of showing us the beginning.  We don't know how the company ran before Eli and his team took over.  It just takes over in place and here is the opening chapter.  

Overall  I didn't like this book

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content