Overview

'I am not ill... the doctors stole my organs for black magic... I am responsible for the fall of mankind... I am under attack from the outside world... the voices tell me to throttle her... she comes to fetch my heart... she comes to fetch my breathing... I am too afraid...' In 'The Troubled Mind', Sean Baumann seeks to address the fear and misapprehension surrounding mental illnesses. Through his personal engagement with patients, he describes the experiences of those living with schizophrenia, bipolar mood disorders and other severe forms of psychiatric disorders. The stories told are authentic, compelling and mysterious, representing vivid expressions of minds in turmoil and the struggle to give shape and meaning to mental distress. The author describes these encounters respectfully, believing that careless representations of mental illness cause further suffering and exclusion. Neuroscientific, socio-cultural, historical, philosophical contexts, and perspectives from the arts are used to shed light on the varied and enigmatic phenomena of mental illness. An argument is made that many of the issues described in these encounters reach beyond the possibly arbitrary confines of mental illness, and raise questions that affect us all, including concerns about the self, free will, and consciousness, and the meanings we attach to being who we are. 'The Troubled Mind' is illustrated by award-winning artist Fiona Moodie. 'Blends the personal and the scientific in a seamless and empathetic narrative... thought-provoking and authoritative... a tremendous achievement'. Nicholas Shakespeare.

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9781916966291

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Dr. Sean Baumann worked for twenty-five years as a consultant to the male admission unit of a public psychiatric hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. He was a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at the University of Cape Town, where he currently holds an honorary position. He is the editor of 'Primary Care Psychiatry: A Practical Guide for Southern Africa'. His cantata: 'Madness: Songs of Hope and Despair' opened the World Psychiatric Conference in Cape Town.

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