[thecdon]

Hey guys,

I am currently studying for a Biology degree and a part of science which particularly fascinates me is mental health.

Does anyone have any books that they would recommend under the umbrella of neuroscience/mental illness?

It's a interesting area of which I'd like to delve into in quite some depth!

Particular areas of interest are psychosis/schizophrenia and the mechanisms involved in hallucinations etc.

Many thanks in advance

[briesandwich]

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat is an excellent book focusing on neurology - but I don't believe it touches on psychosis. It is worth a read though!

[Daydreamer18]

I was just about to mention The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, and then saw it above. That's more neurological disorder than mental health, though.

Have a look at Oliver Sacks' other work too. He has a number of books, some of which may interest you.

[thecdon]

Cheers guys, just had a quick google of said book and it certainly looks like an interesting read.

There must be some books - more case study based - focusing on schizophrenia/psychosis out there? I can't seem to find them, nor do I know where to look!

Thanks guys

[Daydreamer18]

(Original post by thecdon)
Cheers guys, just had a quick google of said book and it certainly looks like an interesting read.

There must be some books - more case study based - focusing on schizophrenia/psychosis out there? I can't seem to find them, nor do I know where to look!

Thanks guys

I don't know any specific titles, but have you gone to Waterstones and looked in the psychology section? They often have specific books on such topics there. I got one from there a couple of weeks ago - 'Trauma' by Professor Gordon Turnbull. I'm sure they'd have similar things for the subjects you're interested in.

[rosehx]

the eden express by mark vonnegut is amazing - it's about a guy who sets up a hippie commune in BC and develops schizophrenia. girl, interrupted is good as well, though that focuses on borderline personality disorder.

[razzle-dazzle]

(Original post by thecdon)
Cheers guys, just had a quick google of said book and it certainly looks like an interesting read.

There must be some books - more case study based - focusing on schizophrenia/psychosis out there? I can't seem to find them, nor do I know where to look!

Thanks guys

It's not exactly from a neuroscientfic perspective but Richard Bentall's 'Madness Explained' is really interesting if you want to read about schizophrenia/psychosis. Would recommend also 'Phantoms in the Brain' by V.S. Ramachandran (more neuroscientific and case-study based but not really about schizophrenia/psychosis)

[Pareidolia]

Robert Whitaker has written two important books: Mad in America and Anatomy of an Epidemic, which the latter is groundbreaking and a searing testament to the greed that is perverting psychiatry, leading to useless and apparently very damaging treatments that are widely used today - antidepressants, antipsychotics and benzos are covered at length, based on research in peer-reviewed journals.

Fictional titles that I would recommend would be One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, Red Dragon by Thomas Harris and The Shining by Stephen King.

[animalnitrate]

(Original post by Pareidolia)
Robert Whitaker has written two important books: Mad in America and Anatomy of an Epidemic, which the latter is groundbreaking and a searing testament to the greed that is perverting psychiatry, leading to useless and apparently very damaging treatments that are widely used today - antidepressants, antipsychotics and benzos are covered at length, based on research in peer-reviewed journals.

Fictional titles that I would recommend would be One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, Red Dragon by Thomas Harris and The Shining by Stephen King.

An amazing book

I also really enjoyed The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath), Prozac Nation (Elizabeth Wurtzel) and The Virgin Suicides (Jeffery Eugenides)

[advent2]

Trauma by Professor Gordon Turnbull is a good book on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

[geetar]

For a historical perspective, this is a great little book.

[RichieT]

how about 'Sophie's Choice'

[red_roses]

Not exactly psychosis, but I think American Psycho is amazing. The film pales in comparison.

I'd also like to +1 this request because I'm really interested in this sub-genre too.

[Land-based mammal]

i remember skimming through a book called schizophrenia the bearded lady disease in the library which looked quite interesting and also a history of psychiatry.

[Space-Monkey]

Richard Bentall's books 'Madness Explained' and 'Doctoring the Mind' are both fantastic, and a nice mix of scientific and layman's language.

[l'inconnue]

If you're interested in fiction about schizophrenia, you might want to look at "I never promised you a rose garden."

[Devonisonfire]

A Note of Madness by Tabitha Suzuma

[Shelly_x]

The Yellow Wallpaper.

[Dobrzynski]

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

READ IT.

[lettucesoap]

I agree with many previous recommendations - Oliver Sacks is amazing!
Although it's fictional and more about psychology, I reckon you'd find Edgar Allan Poe's work interesting.