Items related to Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony...
Synopsis
Norah Vincent has always suffered from depression but at the end of a book project that required her to spend eighteen months disguised as a man she felt that she was a danger to herself and was committed to a 'loony bin'. As a result of this traumatic experience Norah came out resolved to go back undercover to report on a range of mental institutions - three difficult, pressurized and very different environments - and to experience first hand their effect on the body and mind.
Her journey starts in a huge inner city hospital where most patients are 'repeats', often poor and dispossessed. There Norah confronts the boredom and babbling of an underfunded facility: a place where medication is a process of containment: its purpose to make life easier for the rest of us, not the patients themselves. Cut to the calming green carpet of St Lukes: plenty of 'loonies' here too of course but Norah is taken aback when her doctor allows her to reduce her medication, have a room of her own and a regular jog in the park. Then to Mobius, and a Buddhist-inspired brand of healing, where Norah is forced to plunge deep into her emotional past, and swim through the psycho-babble to some unexpected conclusions.
In Voluntary Madness, Norah Vincent takes a fearless and unprecedented view of mental health care - from the inside out. She demonstrates the power of common sense and human connection: how much better a patient can feel when treated like a person and not a petri dish. In analysing the peculiar, sometimes damaging and occasionally transformative relationships between patients and their caregivers, her consummate, fearless and darkly funny reportage makes for riveting reading.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
'The writing is tight, funny and butch... full of brilliant observations'. -- Sunday Times Culture
"it's moving to watch [Vincent] relearn the basic lessons of life". -- Scotsman
"the book is full of alarming detail, thanks to her innate curiosity (aka pushiness and nosiness) and exhaustive note-taking".
-- The Guardian
`A worthwhile and surprisingly easy read for anyone interested in mental illness'. -- Financial Times
`Vincent gains, and is able to share, an insight into the pattern of her depression and learn some useful coping' -- Time Out
Review
"the book is full of alarming detail, thanks to her innate curiosity (aka pushiness and nosiness) and exhaustive note-taking".
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherChatto & Windus
- Publication date2009
- ISBN 10 070118177X
- ISBN 13 9780701181772
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages304
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR001381284
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin
Published by
Vintage Publishing, United Kingdom, London, 2009
ISBN 10: 070118177X
ISBN 13: 9780701181772
Used
Paperback
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Norah Vincent has always suffered from depression but at the end of a book project that required her to spend eighteen months disguised as a man she felt that she was a danger to herself and was committed to a 'loony bin'. As a result of this traumatic experience Norah came out resolved to go back undercover to report on a range of mental institutions - three difficult, pressurized and very different environments - and to experience first hand their effect on the body and mind. Her journey starts in a huge inner city hospital where most patients are 'repeats', often poor and dispossessed. There Norah confronts the boredom and babbling of an underfunded facility: a place where medication is a process of containment: its purpose to make life easier for the rest of us, not the patients themselves. Cut to the calming green carpet of St Lukes: plenty of 'loonies' here too of course but Norah is taken aback when her doctor allows her to reduce her medication, have a room of her own and a regular jog in the park. Then to Mobius, and a Buddhist-inspired brand of healing, where Norah is forced to plunge deep into her emotional past, and swim through the psycho-babble to some unexpected conclusions. In "Voluntary Madness", Norah Vincent takes a fearless and unprecedented view of mental health care - from the inside out. She demonstrates the power of common sense and human connection: how much better a patient can feel when treated like a person and not a petri dish. In analysing the peculiar, sometimes damaging and occasionally transformative relationships between patients and their caregivers, her consummate, fearless and darkly funny reportage makes for riveting reading. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR001457266
Quantity: 3 available
Stock Image
Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin
Published by
Vintage Publishing, United Kingdom, London, 2009
ISBN 10: 070118177X
ISBN 13: 9780701181772
Used
Paperback
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Fair. Norah Vincent has always suffered from depression but at the end of a book project that required her to spend eighteen months disguised as a man she felt that she was a danger to herself and was committed to a 'loony bin'. As a result of this traumatic experience Norah came out resolved to go back undercover to report on a range of mental institutions - three difficult, pressurized and very different environments - and to experience first hand their effect on the body and mind. Her journey starts in a huge inner city hospital where most patients are 'repeats', often poor and dispossessed. There Norah confronts the boredom and babbling of an underfunded facility: a place where medication is a process of containment: its purpose to make life easier for the rest of us, not the patients themselves. Cut to the calming green carpet of St Lukes: plenty of 'loonies' here too of course but Norah is taken aback when her doctor allows her to reduce her medication, have a room of her own and a regular jog in the park. Then to Mobius, and a Buddhist-inspired brand of healing, where Norah is forced to plunge deep into her emotional past, and swim through the psycho-babble to some unexpected conclusions. In "Voluntary Madness", Norah Vincent takes a fearless and unprecedented view of mental health care - from the inside out. She demonstrates the power of common sense and human connection: how much better a patient can feel when treated like a person and not a petri dish. In analysing the peculiar, sometimes damaging and occasionally transformative relationships between patients and their caregivers, her consummate, fearless and darkly funny reportage makes for riveting reading. A readable copy of the book which may include some defects such as highlighting and notes. Cover and pages may be creased and show discolouration. Seller Inventory # GOR005593203
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin
Published by
Chatto & Windus 15/01/2009, 2009
ISBN 10: 070118177X
ISBN 13: 9780701181772
Used
Paperback
Seller: Bahamut Media, Reading, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Shipped within 24 hours from our UK warehouse. Clean, undamaged book with no damage to pages and minimal wear to the cover. Spine still tight, in very good condition. Remember if you are not happy, you are covered by our 100% money back guarantee. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780701181772
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
Voluntary Madness My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin
Seller: Book Broker, Berlin, Germany
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Sehr gut. 304 S. Alle Bücher & Medienartikel von Book Broker sind stets in gutem & sehr gutem gebrauchsfähigen Zustand. Unser Produktfoto entspricht dem hier angebotenen Artikel, dieser weist folgende Merkmale auf: Altersentsprechend nachgedunkelte/saubere Seiten in fester Bindung. Leichte Gebrauchsspuren. Sprache: Englisch Gewicht in Gramm: 399 Taschenbuch, Maße: 15.3 cm x 2.2 cm x 23.4 cm. Seller Inventory # 661192749
Quantity: 1 available