I suppose the title says it all, but I’ve already seen (which could be debated regarding their accuracy) A Beautiful Mind, Prozac Nation (and that ilk… The Virgin Suicides, Girl, Interrupted, 'Night, Mother) and one of my favorites; Frances.
I’ve read countless books, mostly whose names I don’t remember, but there was the quasi-biography (just dealing with this aspect) of William Styron and a couple of other celebrities. Some more in depth studies by folks like Kay Redfield Jamison. And I know I’m forgetting many, many more all the way around.
So, all that prattled on, anyone got anymore suggestions for me? While I’m in the midst of trying to housebreak my puppy, I figured I’d undertake a little light reading.
My favorite is the autobiography of the body known as Truddi Chase, inhabited by upwards of 90 different people who call themselves The Troops. (Obviously, she suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder, aka Dissociative Identity Disorder) The book is called When Rabbit Howls, and I found it utterly gripping. It’s also very graphic about horrid sexual, physical and emotional abuse which they suffered as an infant and child, so if that sort of thing disturbs you to read, it’s probably not for you.
(It’s also incredibly challenging to deal with pronouns when writing about her…them.)
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig deals directly with mental illness. There’s also The Quiet Room by Lori Schiller & Amanda Bennett, detailing a woman’s descent into (and escape from) schizophrenia.
Awakenings and Rain Man are also good films to check out.
“The man who mistook his wife for a hat” is very good. Sacks is awesome. I went to a lecture of his a few years ago and he was amazing. He’d had his hotel room broken into a few hours before and all of his notes were stolen. He gave the lecture totally off the cuff and rambled a lot, but in a nice way.
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb features a very disturbing portrayal of a schizophrenic man with religious and political delusions - a scary combination - from his late teens up until middle age. I have a friend who I feel may be edging his way into this territory, in fact, and although I don’t think he’s anywhere near as troubled as the guy in the book, his rantings about Buddhism and the economy are quite jarring.
Oh, and the book “I never promised you a rose garden”, chronicling the healing of a teenage schizophrenic, is apparently at least partially an autobiographical story (though the author uses a pseudonym). Very good story, and shows how helpful good psychatric clinic and therapy can be (as opposed to clinics like in “One flew over the cuckoo’s nest” - both types of clinics, and doctors, are out there.)
Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds & A Woman Under the Influence are both good examples, although it can be debated whether the afflicted character in each film is really ill or just wacky, which is true in most real life cases.
I plug this movie in every thread I can – Ordinary People. Both the book and the movie do a fantastic job of portraying a teenaged boy recovering from a suicide attempt (and guilt, and grief, and depression). You also get to see a very healthy relationship between patient and psychiatrist.
Birdy by William Wharton. Forget the movie. The interesting thing about the narrative, is that it makes you question the “objective” reality of the tale. Superb fiction.
The curious incident of the dog in the night by Mark Haddon is a story about boy with Aspergers Syndrome and is written from the boys point of view. It is excellent an a pretty quick read, it even discusses the Monty Hall car or a goat behind one of three doors problem. Well worth a read.
A scene in Serenity, when River is trying to convince her brother to allow her to commit suicide, seemed very real to me; having dealt with both sides of the mental health system, I could identify the confusion and ultimate despair that often comes from psychotic-affective disorders. It chilled me.
“The Madness of King George” was well done. It dealt both with his personal madness, probably a case of porphyria, and with the effects it had on the government. In doing so, it suffered from being somewhat slight, and somewhat choppy, because of the amount of ground it tried to cover. Still, I would recommend it.
Could you explain which ones, and why? I guess taking the patient home with him was unprofessional (too much personal involvement), but what else shouldn’t have happened?
I thought A beautiful Mind did a good job of portraying just how real a schizophrenics delusions are to him or her. This is something a lot of people don’t get.
