# Books About the Mentally Ill and Therapist/Patient Relationships **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038 "2009-12-12T22:48:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/21 "2009-12-14T17:20:39Z")
_The Best Little Girl in the World_ by Steven Levenkron is a novel about anorexia; Levenkron is a psychotherapist who writes both fiction and non-fiction, including a book about cutting. The patient in the book I read is an inpatient for a short time. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/22 "2009-12-14T17:27:26Z")
Since the OP speifically asked about treatment situations, I want to take a moment to recommend _[St. Mary Blue](http://www.amazon.com/Saint-Mary-Blue-Barry-Longyear/dp/0595138853/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260811539&sr=1-5)_ by Barry B. Longyear. It is a semi-autobiographical novel based on Longyear’s own treatment in an inpatient facility for alcoholism. It sheds a lot of light, in passing, on the link between substance abuse and mental illness. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/23 "2009-12-14T17:28:19Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > _The Best Little Girl in the World_ by Steven Levenkron is a novel about anorexia; Levenkron is a psychotherapist who writes both fiction and non-fiction, including a book about cutting. The patient in the book I read is an inpatient for a short time. There is also a sequel called _Kessa_ ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/24 "2009-12-14T17:59:11Z")
I loved _Captain Newman, MD_ by Leo Rosten (the movie starring Gregory Peck was also excellent). It’s more a collection of related stories than a novel really, each concentrating on a different psychiatric patient in an Air Force (?) hospital during WWII. While the psychoanalytic slant might be a little tough for some to take, the protagonist is compassionate and ingenious in a time when psychotropic drugs were generally unavailable (although there is one story that involves the use of sodium pentothal). ETA: > [@OtakuLoki](#): > > Since the OP speifically asked about treatment situations, I want to take a moment to recommend _[St. Mary Blue](http://www.amazon.com/Saint-Mary-Blue-Barry-Longyear/dp/0595138853/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260811539&sr=1-5)_ by Barry B. Longyear. I also enjoyed this book. I got one of my favorite lines from it: An agnostic is an atheist who doesn’t want to talk about it. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/25 "2009-12-14T18:08:19Z")
> [@winterhawk11](#): > > Do you like Star Trek: TOS? If so, there’s a pretty good novella at the end of the first “Star Trek: The New Voyages” collection (might be a bit hard to find–it’s from the 70s) called “Mind Sifter.” Kirk is subjected to the Klingon mind sifter, goes insane, and uses the Guardian to go back in time, where he ends up in a mental institution. I remember that very well. It’s one of the best ST short stories I’ve ever read. Daniel Keyes’s _Flowers for Algernon_ is worth a read. I’d recommend the short story over the novel. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/26 "2009-12-14T18:12:49Z")
> [@PoorYorick](#): > > I also enjoyed this book. I got one of my favorite lines from it: An agnostic is an atheist who doesn’t want to talk about it. My favorite line from the book remains: “You’re a nasty little shit. Why don’t you do something about that?” Just in case it’s not clear, this is not a comment directed at **PoorYorick** , nor anyone else in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/27 "2009-12-15T02:30:01Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > It’s from 1964; I read it maybe ten years later, in intermediate school. It packed a punch. > > How about **The Madness of King George**? Good God–I must have read it in the early 80s. Anyway, it’s a good read. I also second Flowers for Algernon and Sybil. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/28 "2009-12-15T03:35:38Z")
There’s **When Rabbit Howls** by Truddie Chase, another MPD patient (maybe this should branch out into a different thread). ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/29 "2009-12-15T03:53:34Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Daniel Keyes’s _Flowers for Algernon_ is worth a read. I’d recommend the short story over the novel. Not to dispute the excellence of the story, but the narrator in _FFA_ is not mentally ill. He’s retarded and the subject of an experiment. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/30 "2009-12-15T07:02:29Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > This is not exactly what you’re looking for, but _The Eden Express_, by Mark Vonnegut, is a harrowing memoir of a man’s struggles with schizophrenia. Yes. Excellent book, especially knowing how his life turned out all these years later. . ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/31 "2009-12-15T14:35:09Z")
Torey Hayden was a special ed teacher/child psychologist who writes excellent books about her work with mentally ill children. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/32 "2009-12-15T15:58:57Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > There’s **When Rabbit Howls** by Truddie Chase, another MPD patient (maybe this should branch out into a different thread). That is one creepy book. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/33 "2009-12-15T19:54:35Z")
For a while after Sybil became the flavor of the month, there were a ton of books published about people with MPD who had been sexually abused and had recovered memory syndrome. Families were torn up, teachers were accused of ghastly things, and the whole thing turned into a repition of the Salem witch hunts. Most of the books are creepy, disgusting, and a waste of time. ---
**Author:** ![valleyofthedolls](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a4c791/32.png) [@valleyofthedolls](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/valleyofthedolls)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/34 "2009-12-15T20:04:09Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > For a while after Sybil became the flavor of the month, there were a ton of books published about people with MPD who had been sexually abused and had recovered memory syndrome. Families were torn up, teachers were accused of ghastly things, and the whole thing turned into a repition of the Salem witch hunts. > > Most of the books are creepy, disgusting, and a waste of time. The book primarily responsible for the episode you’re talking about is Michelle Remembers. I doubt, however, that a book like Michelle Remembers could have been published without the success of Sybil paving the way. And to be clear, I think both books have about as much truth in them as A Million Little Pieces or any of Beatrice Sparks’ inventions. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/35 "2009-12-15T20:07:40Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > There’s **When Rabbit Howls** by Truddie Chase, another MPD patient (maybe this should branch out into a different thread). If a fraction of what she says is true then her childhood made Sybil’s look like THE BRADY BUNCH\*, but she actually made me laugh on Oprah. She was asked about her marriage and divorce and said “Yeah… dozens of us and can you believe we all made the same _@#_(RW\*ed mistake!” \*Hmm… maybe Jan was an only child and had MPD; the other kids were other manifestations. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/36 "2009-12-16T02:00:56Z")
Cindy Brady strikes me as a particularly nasty manifestation. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/37 "2009-12-16T02:03:45Z")
Here’s a movie that may be of interest: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quills\_(film)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quills_%28film%29) ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038/38 "2009-12-16T02:14:50Z")
I bought “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” at Half Price today, and I’m already enjoying it. Thanks to everyone! Oh, and I also ordered the Star Trek book, so a special thanks for feeding my new addiction. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-mentally-ill-and-therapist-patient-relationships/521038.md?page=1)