Published July 1st by Waking Lion Press first published To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Lists with This Book. Jun 19, Adam French added it. An amazing personal story of what it was like to have a mental illness in the early 19 hundreds.
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It also paints a picture of what one person can do and how much each of us can impact change in this world. Awesome book, could not put it down.. Paraphrasing a comment made by the author of this book When we are treated with dignity and respect, it is not difficult to prove ourselves balanced.
In such a sense of balance, it is a joy to pass the gift along. I see this man's story and his ability to share it as nothing less than a miracle. Knowing the conditions of the time and the fact that those individuals who were institutionalized all too often not only were abused Paraphrasing a comment made by the author of this book Knowing the conditions of the time and the fact that those individuals who were institutionalized all too often not only were abused terribly but never saw the light of freedom ever again.
It is a testament to his strength and the support that his family gave him as well as his personal abilities that he was able even to survive. Most assuredly the book was not an easy one to read.
Clifford Whittingham Beers - Wikipedia
There are multiple reasons for that including the style of writing which is of the early s as well as the tragedy of illness which included symptoms of and behaviors related to depression, mania and self harm. The pain of reliving with him the difficult personal experiences involved, which go willy-nilly into incredible abuse, his personal resistance to and then attempt to document such plus his ultimate resolution to fight back with every tool at his disposal to change the system.
It is an inspiring story. Everyone should read this! Everyone should read this book at some time or other. Also, it was fascinating to read first hand the struggles of someone who experienced and returned from a mental breakdown! He was one of five children, all of whom would suffer from psychological distress and would die in mental institutions, including Beers himself, see "Clifford W. Beers, Advocate for the Insane". After the publication of A Mind That Found Itself , an autobiographical account of his hospitalization and the abuses he suffered, the book was widely and favorably reviewed, became a bestseller, and is still in print.
Beers gained the support of the medical profession and others in the work to reform the treatment of the mentally ill. In Beers founded the "National Committee for Mental Hygiene", now named Mental Health America, in order to continue the reform for the treatment of the mentally ill. Beers died in Providence, Rhode Island. Feb 10, Carolynne rated it it was ok Shelves: I had a tough time with this one, and finally gave up and returned it to the library. The author maintains that he suffered a psychotic break and was plagued by horrible hallucinations and paranoia.
He believed that the police were after him and that everyone in his life - family, friends, etc - were actually government spies in disguise. The book travels back and forth in time and place, and I found it difficult at times to understand whether he was talking about the past, present, or future. T I had a tough time with this one, and finally gave up and returned it to the library.
The book is trumpeted as an indictment of the horrible abuses in mental hospitals.
The Mind That Found Itself
He hints at horrible abuse, while detailing how caring professionals looked after him, and his brother was deeply involved in his care. I found myself increasingly skeptical of the veracity of this book. If he really was as paranoid, delusional, abused, and terrified as he claimed, how is it that he can recall with accuracy his day-to-day life in the institution?
Why should I trust his account of names, dates, or events that took place while he was out of his mind? Was he lucid or psychotic? Either way, the story does not ring true. View all 3 comments. Dec 01, Carter rated it really liked it.
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Clifford Beers' depiction of his own descent into madness and his journey toward wellness is especially interesting and insightful because he so thoroughly documented his experiences. This testament offers something no textbook, case study, or diagnostic instrument can manage, an opportunity to feel, imagine, and wonder with someone in the throes of bi-polar disorder.
From the outside looking in, we see erratic behavior, nonsensical conversation, and other clinical indicators of insanity. But fr Clifford Beers' depiction of his own descent into madness and his journey toward wellness is especially interesting and insightful because he so thoroughly documented his experiences. But from his perspective we are given a glimpse at the reason and logic, the fear and pain, the elation and creativity. Looking from the inside outward, we are given an opportunity to experience the disorder and from that, we may gain true empathy.
Ships from and sold by Detroit Book Exchange. Customers who viewed this item also viewed. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. A Mind That Found Itself. A Memoir of Madness. A History of Modern Psychology. The Interpretation of Dreams: The Complete and Definitive Text. Here's how restrictions apply. Contemporary Community Health Series Paperback: University of Pittsburgh Press; 1 edition June 30, Language: An Autobiography on your Kindle in under a minute.
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Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Showing of 22 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. I have been a psychiatric nurse for 15 years, and enjoy reading about the history of psychiatry. I work with patients, who have chronic mental illness, and who have been in the mental health system for many decades. Beers had been through. Clifford Beers wrote his story and became one of the pioneers of mental health advocacy, evolving in the patient rights we have today.
It's an interesting story and one worth reading. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. I read the free Kindle version of this book. If, like me, you are interested in psychology and history, you will enjoy this book as well.
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The Mind That Found Itself Clifford Beers tells what it was like to be institutionalized at a time when mental illness received little attention or respect. About the Author Clifford Whittingham Beers was the founder of the American mental hygiene movement. He graduated from the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale in In he was first confined to a private mental institution for depression and paranoia.
He would later be confined to another private hospital as well as a state institution. During these periods he experienced and witnessed serious maltreatment at the hands of the staff.