Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Great Pretender by Susannah Cahalan

5 reviews

kingsteph's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

keeganrb's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

alexxrose's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

4.5

A very informed and well crafted book about mental health treatment in 20th Century America. Cahalan's personal connection to the topic certainly made the book more compelling, I felt reassured that she really cared and thus that the research would be as fair and accurate as she could make it. 

Personally the book lacked in two elements. One:

not enough was done to discuss the falsehoods Cahalan discovered in the study.

This became a major part of the latter half of the book but was not cross-examined enough in my opinion. Considering how groundbreaking the study was at the time, this should have been earth shattering news but it wasn't treated as such. 
Two: the problem of

deinstitutionalization

was brought up in the final parts but not explored. This wasn't the focus of the book, so I can't fault Cahalan for not exploring it more. But it still felt like there was so much potential to discuss the modern issues with mental health care that was just brushed over. 

Overall I'm glad to have read this book, especially have experienced mental health care myself; both personally and seeing those around me go through it. It raises a lot of important questions but also demystifies so much that is still kept as taboo. Definitely would recommend! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Medical content

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Excrement

genieoneil's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative slow-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

shelby_denise_reads's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt