Mental: Everything You Never Knew You Needed to Know About Mental Health

by Steve Ellen, Catherine Deveny

‘Mental illness is too often portrayed with a sense of despair, as if it’s a life sentence. Nothing could be further from the truth. Virtually everyone improves with help, and most of the help is relatively easy to access.’

How do we define mental illness? What does a diagnosis mean? What should you ask your doctor before you begin treatment? Are there alternatives to medication? What does the research show actually works?

Practitioner and professor of psychiatry Dr Steve Ellen and popular comedian Catherine Deveny combine forces to demystify the world of mental health. Sharing their personal experiences of mental illness and an insider perspective on psychiatry, they unpack the current knowledge about conditions and treatments. Punctuated with anecdotes and real-life stories, Mental covers everything from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia, personality disorders and substance abuse.

Whether you have a mental illness or support someone who does, Mental offers clear practical help, empowering you with an arsenal of tips and techniques to help build your resilience.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mental Health, Psychology, Self Help, Health, Ebooks

359 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2017

About the author

Steve Ellen is the Head of Psychiatry at Peter Mac. He is a broadcaster on 3RRR, a weekly regular on ABC 774 and a frequent contributor to the Conversation and the Age.

Reviews

[Olwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Well written, informative and engaging.

As a practitioner I'm always on the lookout for resources that my clients would benefit from. This book is definitely now on my list.

In a very user-friendly way it covers many frequently occurring mental health disorders plus treatments available - both talking and medication - but not biased in favour of either.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In progress-
My reviews are mainly to remind me what I thought of a audiobook book - why I did not finish it or why I rated it as I did. 🎧

[Jazmyn Dolbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me a long time to get through because it was so dense and filled with SO MUCH information on mental health. It was so informative and one I would recommend to anyone struggling with their own mental health or the mental health of a loved one. It felt like reading a textbook at times, but one I’m really glad I read.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t really sure of the premise of this book because it seemed so unrealistically broad - like when my university introduced an undergraduate subject called “Asia” (really? What can you say about the culture, history, geography and politics of an enormous and diverse country in twelve lectures and ten tutes?) - but somehow it works.

One reason it works is because the authors strike a good balance of being specific enough in parts to be useful (“here’s a list of all the drugs that may be prescribed for anxiety, how long they take to work, the dosage range, and what the possible side effects are”) while also being broad enough to include narratives that apply to all mental illnesses (for example when talking about the history of institutionalisation in Australia).

The language is very engaging and easy to read. It’s one of those books where the text just seems to jump straight off the page and into your brain (no pun intended), but this does not detract from the intellectual rigour. It’s still very much an evidence-based book, and I enjoyed how clear that information was: each piece of information was flagged with “this works for most people but isn’t universal” or “this only works in the following context” or “the evidence is mixed about if this works” or “for most people this thing is a waste of time but you can still give it a go if you want” or “here’s the pros and cons of each option”. It felt really inclusive and also transparent. The partnership of psychiatrist Steve and community member/comedian Dev made for a complementary duo.

Given that most people either have mental illnesses themselves or will have a family member or friend or colleague with a mental illness, this is a useful book either as a first-step or a recap. Recommended.

[Ellissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really know what I was expecting with this. If you are curious about the therapy process and some of the main things that you should know going into it then this is a handy little guide. I would also recommend this if you are considering going down the path of being a counsellor/psychologist/psychiatrist as it breaks down some of the differences in the rolls and what they can and cannot do.

[Lynette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book - really good. Fantastic for anyone newly diagnosed or to educate
family and friends. I read the whole thing right through (library book) and would like my
own copy as I am sure it is something I would refer back to. Very user friendly and written
in language we can understand!

[Kepo Buku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ketika berbicara tentang kesehatan mental. Salah satu host Kepo Buku, Hertoto menerangkan buku ini sebagai buku yang coba deh dibaca, minimal kita bisa lebih ngerti masalah kesehatan jiwa. Menjadi support system yang mumpuni bagi teman, kawan, maupun keluarga. Serius, coba dengerin penjelasannya di https://kepobuku.com/?p=414

[Kit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very accessible overview/ guide to the whole mental health thing. Including a discussion of what a definition of mental health is.
The authors give their personal views and experiences as well as whatever the official orthodox psychiatry/ mental health line is. Arguments for and against issues are presented. This includes on the to take medication or not to take medication question (really - it really isn't all champing at the bit for taking medication) and euthanasia.
Very scant on history or theory side of things, intentionally. The emphasis is on a main road map to setting things right out of the gate.
This is knowledge useful for everyone as we all come across mental illness even if it's just on the TV news or we don't even know it.

[Jemma (Aussie BookWorm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technical I didn't completely finish this book. I took it back to the library to renew and they wouldn't let me borrow it again (hello primary school deja vu). But I've decided to count it as I was 85% through. It was quite informative and not hard to read.

[Jon S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great starting point for anyone trying to understand, or explain to another, some mental health issues.

For those in the know/currently fighting their own mental health battles, this won't add much to what you likely already know.

[stasia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off good but became repetitive. This would’ve been to allow people to use this book more like a textbook. Like, go to location that most interests you and find all info on it. But for a read through it felt a little annoying. But it’s a valuable resource.

[Kara Rowley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

[Lindy wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative without being overly academic or dry. A compassionate and very helpful book.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource as a starting point. The arena of mental health, is the inside of my head normal (we like to think ours is an unprecedented situation, but alas, no), if not... well shit what do I do, who do I call?

This book lays the facts of mental health out in succinct, accurate and understandable language and takes you through the common mental health issues, how they are treated and by whom. It brought some much need clarity to an otherwise murky subject.

Thank you Steve and Dev!

[Shannon McMahon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, which covers a huge amont of mental health. Its factual and informative but it does feel a bit reppetative in sections.