We Don't Use Words Like 'Crazy': On the Frontline of Mental Health

by Elliot Sweeney

An illuminating memoir of life working on the frontline of mental health

'Gripping, empathetic and honest.' Bonnie Garmus

'A beautifully written, hopeful book.' Dr Benji Waterhouse

'Immediately gripped.' Chris Atkins

'Heartfelt and powerful.' Carol Vorderman

We Don't Use Words Like Crazy is a 'professional confessional' from Elliot Sweeney, a mental health nurse who works on the frontline of mental health services. His touching and often humorous memoir lifts the lid on the realities of the profession, in an attempt to highlight the need for compassion for some of the most vulnerable people in the world, and the very committed people that work with them on a professional basis.

Elliot's heartfelt and powerful book is for anyone who wants to know what it's really like to work in contemporary mental health services in the UK, and why people like Elliot stick at it. Described as 'funny, frank and beautifully observed', Elliot's memoir explores all aspects of mental health care, including hospital, youth care, dementia, community care, and the more extreme experience of working with risk, highlighting a service that underpins our society and that reflects the full spectrum of humanity.

'Gripping, empathetic, and honest, this account of what it's like to care for the mentally ill as they sink into schizophrenia, depression, self-harm, delusion, anorexia, dementia and more, is both an education and a wake-up call. Sweeney writes with brilliance about a vulnerable population that deserves our respect and compassion.' Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry


'A beautifully written, hopeful book from the kind of mental health nurse you'd be lucky to have. If only the NHS had 13,300 more of them.' Dr Benji Waterhouse, author of You Don't Have To Be Mad To Work A Psychiatrist's Life

'Sweeney pulls you into the dark and baffling world of mental health care with a freshness and humanity that is usually missing from other books on the subject. Having spent nine months on HMP Wandsworth, where most of the inhabitants are mentally ill, Sweeney's account struck home, and will hopefully shed much needed light on this scandalously overlooked area.' Chris Atkins, author of A Bit of a Stretch

'A heartfelt and powerful account of what it feels like to be on today's mental health front line. The shortages of staff and resources in this area of critical care is appalling. These dedicated professionals need all the care and support we can give them.' Carol Vorderman

Genres: Nonfiction, Mental Health, Audiobook, Memoir

Audible Audio

Published April 24, 2025

Reviews

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book covers well-trodden ground if you have read anything in mental health literature.
However, it takes a humane approach, highlighting individual patients to make it more personal.

It is accessible and the main message is compassion, patience, and perseverance.

I have to admit there were certain situations I was really shocked at the narrator’s own reactions and behaviour. I have some experience with the mental health services and a few instances made me hmmm at his responses.

It is true they are understaffed and underskilled. Mental health is often misunderstood.
However, I do think this account vacillated between understanding and compassion to anger and being fed up.

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[Tayla McCloud · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughtful and compassionate accounts of the different types of patients Elliot encounters as a mental health nurse. Some interesting examples but didn't fully connect with me or draw me in - that might be because I work in mental health, though (sorry!)

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC. Tender, raw and compelling it highlights the humanity in an often inhumane system and the light the punctures even the darkest of places.

[Kate Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always interested in books relating to mental health and especially within the mental health profession.
However, I didn't overly enjoy this book - I was hoping for some more humour and more in depth stories. (I always find myself comparing any books within health frontline genre to 'This is going to Hurt" by Adam Kay)

I liked reading, but I was left missing something. I'm not sure if it was the lack of empathy with case studies, or lack of humour - but there was something that I didn't particularly connect with here.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book and I enjoyed reading it although it made me rather sad at times. It is difficult when people don’t get the support they need - on both sides.
I think it started off more cheery than it ended. Maybe this is a reflective of the current world we live in. I would recommend everyone gives this a read to try and break down the stigma of mental health.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books like that are usually a hit or miss for me, I’m always uncomfortable when medical providers use patients for content (even if they try to hide their identities), sometimes - and they don’t really realise it - they also talk about the patients like they’re some kind of wild animals in the zoo. That’s not the case here, the author talks about patients sure but it’s always very respectful, and I feel like the book is mostly about him and about how working in that field might have affected him. I found the part about Covid and after Covid really interesting.

Nice to see people talking about psychiatry, we are currently going through a pretty obvious mental health crisis (and Covid didn’t help), we need to make the field “sexy” again so that patients get the medical care they need, right now in too many countries, there’s just no option for people who need it.

[Reuben Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This made me go through the entire spectrum of human emotion. It’s not like it was really telling me anything new, as the stories he recounted tracked with my own experience both as a patient and a professional within mental health systems, but the way he wrote really brought it all to life and struck the perfect balance between shining a light on the harrowing truths of it all and finding the glimmers of joy, humour, beauty, and connection in the work. I read it largely as another reference for my current uni assignment, but it quickly became a book that I was just thoroughly gripped by, and I think it’ll stay with me for a while.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a memoir about the author's experiences as a mental health nurse, and I thought it was great. He writes with kindness, empathy and compassion and the book is a nice blend of case stories, discussion of the state of mental health care in Britain, and the author's personal life. It's a hard read, very sad in places and frustrating in others, but it's definitely worth reading whether you have experience with the NHS mental health services or not. Highly recommended.

I had an arc of this one so thank you to the publishers and Netgalley. My review is entirely voluntary.

[Joanna Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't work in mental health, but it was super interesting to hear about the experiences/challenges!

[Anggi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a moving and thought-provoking book about working in the mental health sector. Some of the stories made me weep while others made me chuckle. Please do give it a read!

[Lyndsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent insights into a job which overlaps with my own. compassionate, funny and important.

[foxy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an ex CPN I found this book realistic and highlighting the difficulties people face either as a mental health patient or a mental health professional.

[Sophie Drt-Pmllr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book I'm unlikely to forget any time soon.

[Lucy Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The state of NHS mental health services described in this book is pretty much as I expected, sadly. However, it's still bleak when you actually see it written down. I take my hat off to anyone working in this field and send my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of them.