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The Mind and the Moon: My Brother’s Story, the Science of Our Brains, and the Search for Our Psyches
“A profound and powerful work of essential reporting." — The New York Times Book Review An important—and intimate—interrogation of how we treat mental illness and how we understand ourselves In the early 1960s, JFK declared that science would take us to the moon. He also declared that science would make the “remote reaches of the mind accessible” and cure psychiatric illness with breakthrough medications. We were walking on the moon within the decade. But today, psychiatric cures continue to elude us—as does the mind itself. Why is it that we still don’t understand how the mind works? What is the difference between the mind and the brain? And given all that we still don’t know, how can we make insightful, transformative choices about our psychiatric conditions? When Daniel Bergner’s younger brother was diagnosed as bipolar and put on a locked ward in the 1980s, psychiatry seemed to have achieved what JFK a revolution of chemical solutions to treat mental illness. Yet as Bergner’s brother was deemed a dire risk for suicide and he and his family were told his disorder would be lifelong, he found himself taking heavy doses of medications with devastating side effects. Now, in recounting his brother’s journey alongside the gripping, illuminating stories of Caroline, who is beset by the hallucinations of psychosis, and David, who is overtaken by depression, Bergner examines the evolution of how we treat our psyches. He reveals how the pharmaceutical industry has perpetuated our biological view of the mind and our drug-based assumptions about treatment—despite the shocking price paid by many patients and the problematic evidence of drug efficacy. And he takes us into the pioneering labs of today’s preeminent neuroscientists, sharing their remarkably candid reflections and fascinating new theories of treatment. The Mind and the Moon raises profound questions about how we understand ourselves and the essential human divide between our brains and our minds. This is a book of thought-provoking reframings, delving into the science—and spirit—of our psyches. It is about vulnerability and personal dignity, the terrifying choices confronted by families and patients, and the prospect of alternatives. In The Mind and the Moon , Bergner beautifully explores how to seek a deeper engagement with ourselves and one another—and how to find a better path toward caring for our minds.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published May 17, 2022
96 people are currently reading
3590 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Bergner
20 books65 followersDaniel Bergner is a staff writer for the New York Times Magazine and the author of two previous books of nonfiction, IN THE LAND OF MAGIC SOLDIERS: A STORY OF WHITE AND BLACK IN WEST AFRICA, a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year, and GOD OF THE RODEO: THE QUEST FOR REDEMPTION IN LOUISIANA’S ANGOLA PRISON, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
Bergner’s writing has also appeared in Granta, Harper’s, Mother Jones, Talk, the New York Times Book Review, and on the op-ed page of the New York Times.
Bergner’s writing has also appeared in Granta, Harper’s, Mother Jones, Talk, the New York Times Book Review, and on the op-ed page of the New York Times.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
May 20, 2022
The Mind and the Moon is a scathing takedown of Big Pharma and the role of the psychiatric profession in overmedicating and frankly abusing those labelled mentally ill or neurodivergent. It is also a personal story, including the author’s brother as one of the three individuals whose tales of suffering from psychiatric medications, diagnosis, and institutionalization he interweaves with a comprehensive history of how drugs targeting the brain were developed, sold, and approved despite limited knowledge of how they work and known severe side effects.
While many of us are aware of the limits to scientific understanding of the brain, as well as the fact that antidepressants and other psychiatric medications are overprescribed in the United States, this book illuminates those facts and their context in a way that I found frankly a little terrifying. This book shocked out of the general attitude of “sigh, yeah, this isn’t great, but there’s not much we can do,” as I realized that maybe doctors know quite a lot less than we assume.
While the neuroscientists studying ways to target these conditions remain doggedly optimistic, the fact that there is no structural indication of difference in neurodivergent and mentally ill brains raises some questions: why do we pathologize people who think differently? To what extent does environment play a role in mental health? Do these drugs really have an effect, or is it mostly placebo?
What Bergner does particularly well is weave together different factors at play so the reader can get a clearer sense of why these drugs are so widely used and not questioned more than they are. I was surprised to learn that the “chemical imbalance” theory has pretty much no actual evidence, despite being confidently shared by any doctor I’ve spoken with about depression and anxiety. While the theory that some brains need drugs to “rebalance” their chemistry makes logical sense, the actual science is still pretty much a crapshoot—researchers don’t know why certain drugs work, and many in fact don’t work any better than placebo, but are still prescribed.
Monetary interests are a big part of the picture, unsurprisingly, alongside a fair bit of cultural inertia. Other factors the book exposes include lax FDA regulation, straight-up corruption, a diagnostic model that has more to do with psychiatrists trying to prove their professions’ worth and give it scientific-sounding appeal than the actual needs of patients, family members looking for a simple explanation that takes the blame aware from their own behavior or genetics, and the impact of pharmaceutical direct advertising as well as advertising to doctors.
In other words, there is a man behind the curtain who has no idea what he’s talking about, and the emperor is very, very naked.
This isn’t a quick read, though given its broad scope I found it a compelling one. The three individual stories featured each have a particular lens that allow Bergner to discuss a different angle of this multi-layered problem, and that personal aspect keeps the writing from being too dry while also humanizing the arguments presented.
My favorite “character” was a roller derby enthusiast and psychiatric survivor who has taken a major role in creating self-advocacy groups that avoid institutionalization and allow those who hear voices to actually talk about those voices without stigma. Bergner’s narrative shows that this approach to psychosis is actually much less likely to result in violence and harm than the standard of care that encourages patients to hide what they hear and take damaging medications to suppress their voices and sedate their bodies.
I suspect many readers will relate to the way members of these support groups point to how fear of institutionalization prevents talking about suicidal thoughts—the very thing that is most likely to actually help a person having them. The aim of suicide prevention, especially within institutions, is so centralized that staff effectively torture people who might do just fine in another setting, in the name of avoiding suicide whether or not there is even a clear risk. Bergner showcases a few alternatives to this model and while none is perfect, perhaps, they do seem promising to further explore.
The other two featured stories present similarly relatable themes. In one, a man put on anti-depressants for mild symptoms goes through absolute hell from the withdrawal symptoms, his narrative framed in time by its connection to the Trump debacle. Despite years of success as a civil rights attorney, withdrawal from a commonly-prescribed medication results in years of torment where he is unable to practice at the time he feels most needed, watching the country fall apart. The other, centered on Bergner’s brother, considers the relationship between artistic talent and mental illness as well as the role of the family environment. In doing so it really debunks the myth of the simple binary I grew up not questioning: treatment and mental health on the one hand vs. creative ability on the other.
In all three of these stories, as well as others explored at less length, there is a sense that being odd or disruptive is dangerous, and nowhere more so than within a psychiatric institution. In an evidence-based world, there is no tolerance for perceptions that can’t be scientifically proven, and in a world obsessed with simply keeping people alive there’s no space for empathy or root cause investigation. Actual human strength and resilience is ignored, as casting patients as fragile serves the narrative. Similarly, the actual experiences of unmedicated patients are seen as irrelevant. Bergner’s writing brings a few of these patients metaphorically back to life as he wrestles with questions of the authentic self, decouples the brain and the mind, and considers neurodivergence as a kind of self-understanding that is denied by psychiatry (and institutions where neurodivergent friendships are seen as dangerous).
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of mental health in the United States, especially the use of psychiatric drugs, though with the word of caution that you’re likely to find yourself both moved and a little freaked out if you or someone you love has been prescribed drugs like these or placed in an institutional setting. For policy makers, it’s a must-read.
(ARC provided by NetGalley.)
While many of us are aware of the limits to scientific understanding of the brain, as well as the fact that antidepressants and other psychiatric medications are overprescribed in the United States, this book illuminates those facts and their context in a way that I found frankly a little terrifying. This book shocked out of the general attitude of “sigh, yeah, this isn’t great, but there’s not much we can do,” as I realized that maybe doctors know quite a lot less than we assume.
While the neuroscientists studying ways to target these conditions remain doggedly optimistic, the fact that there is no structural indication of difference in neurodivergent and mentally ill brains raises some questions: why do we pathologize people who think differently? To what extent does environment play a role in mental health? Do these drugs really have an effect, or is it mostly placebo?
What Bergner does particularly well is weave together different factors at play so the reader can get a clearer sense of why these drugs are so widely used and not questioned more than they are. I was surprised to learn that the “chemical imbalance” theory has pretty much no actual evidence, despite being confidently shared by any doctor I’ve spoken with about depression and anxiety. While the theory that some brains need drugs to “rebalance” their chemistry makes logical sense, the actual science is still pretty much a crapshoot—researchers don’t know why certain drugs work, and many in fact don’t work any better than placebo, but are still prescribed.
Monetary interests are a big part of the picture, unsurprisingly, alongside a fair bit of cultural inertia. Other factors the book exposes include lax FDA regulation, straight-up corruption, a diagnostic model that has more to do with psychiatrists trying to prove their professions’ worth and give it scientific-sounding appeal than the actual needs of patients, family members looking for a simple explanation that takes the blame aware from their own behavior or genetics, and the impact of pharmaceutical direct advertising as well as advertising to doctors.
In other words, there is a man behind the curtain who has no idea what he’s talking about, and the emperor is very, very naked.
This isn’t a quick read, though given its broad scope I found it a compelling one. The three individual stories featured each have a particular lens that allow Bergner to discuss a different angle of this multi-layered problem, and that personal aspect keeps the writing from being too dry while also humanizing the arguments presented.
My favorite “character” was a roller derby enthusiast and psychiatric survivor who has taken a major role in creating self-advocacy groups that avoid institutionalization and allow those who hear voices to actually talk about those voices without stigma. Bergner’s narrative shows that this approach to psychosis is actually much less likely to result in violence and harm than the standard of care that encourages patients to hide what they hear and take damaging medications to suppress their voices and sedate their bodies.
I suspect many readers will relate to the way members of these support groups point to how fear of institutionalization prevents talking about suicidal thoughts—the very thing that is most likely to actually help a person having them. The aim of suicide prevention, especially within institutions, is so centralized that staff effectively torture people who might do just fine in another setting, in the name of avoiding suicide whether or not there is even a clear risk. Bergner showcases a few alternatives to this model and while none is perfect, perhaps, they do seem promising to further explore.
The other two featured stories present similarly relatable themes. In one, a man put on anti-depressants for mild symptoms goes through absolute hell from the withdrawal symptoms, his narrative framed in time by its connection to the Trump debacle. Despite years of success as a civil rights attorney, withdrawal from a commonly-prescribed medication results in years of torment where he is unable to practice at the time he feels most needed, watching the country fall apart. The other, centered on Bergner’s brother, considers the relationship between artistic talent and mental illness as well as the role of the family environment. In doing so it really debunks the myth of the simple binary I grew up not questioning: treatment and mental health on the one hand vs. creative ability on the other.
In all three of these stories, as well as others explored at less length, there is a sense that being odd or disruptive is dangerous, and nowhere more so than within a psychiatric institution. In an evidence-based world, there is no tolerance for perceptions that can’t be scientifically proven, and in a world obsessed with simply keeping people alive there’s no space for empathy or root cause investigation. Actual human strength and resilience is ignored, as casting patients as fragile serves the narrative. Similarly, the actual experiences of unmedicated patients are seen as irrelevant. Bergner’s writing brings a few of these patients metaphorically back to life as he wrestles with questions of the authentic self, decouples the brain and the mind, and considers neurodivergence as a kind of self-understanding that is denied by psychiatry (and institutions where neurodivergent friendships are seen as dangerous).
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of mental health in the United States, especially the use of psychiatric drugs, though with the word of caution that you’re likely to find yourself both moved and a little freaked out if you or someone you love has been prescribed drugs like these or placed in an institutional setting. For policy makers, it’s a must-read.
(ARC provided by NetGalley.)
June 20, 2022
I picked this up on the strength of an intriguing New York Times review but struggled to get into it. Soon after buying it, I found myself in a psychiatric hospital, surrounded by patients who have been dealing with many of the issues Bergner describes in this book. After that experience, I went back to the book, and was utterly captivated. Bergner succeeds in illuminating the history of psychiatric care in America with nuance and subtlety while sacrificing none of his story's power to sadden or shock. As someone with an uneasy relationship to medication (I am currently taking a medication mentioned several times here), I appreciated learning more about the toll of psychiatry's tunnel-vision focus on medication at the expense of humanity, while also digging deeper into the often intensely difficult journeys of those who seek peace outside of that system. Highly recommended.
December 27, 2022
4.5/5
Daniel Bergner realiza serviço público com este livro, “The Mind and the Moon” (2022), ao dar conta do modo como a medicina lida com a doença mental no século XXI. Bergner começa por relatar o horror de um passado não muito distante, dos primeiros hospícios às lobotomias de Egas Moniz, evidenciando que se muito mudou, mudou mais ainda com a secundarização de Freud e a atribuição total de primazia ao poder da química para alterar a biologia. Podemos pensar que tudo foi sendo feito em nome da evidência científica, os problemas começam quando essa não é tão evidente como a indústria farmaceutica quer fazer crer. Os problemas acontecem quando a evidência funciona apenas para uma parte da população, enquanto na outra não vai além de placebo. Os problemas acontecem quando parecendo que funciona acaba por ditar uma qualidade de vida pior do que aquela que existia na sua ausência. Senti por vezes algum receio em continuar a leitura por, em partes, o discurso roçar a teoria da conspiração. Mas, o facto de Bergner ter vários livros publicados, escrever para algumas revistas de referência internacional, e acima de tudo estar a dar conta, em parte, de memórias vividas ao lado de um irmão que passou os últimos 40 anos a lutar com a doença, faz com que nos disponhamos a continuar a ler. Bergner questiona tudo e todos sobre os tratamentos, quase exclusivamente assentes no químico, que oferecemos à doença mental, terminando apenas com uma certeza, a de que continuamos a saber muito pouco sobre o funcionamento da mente.
continua no blog:
https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.com...
Daniel Bergner realiza serviço público com este livro, “The Mind and the Moon” (2022), ao dar conta do modo como a medicina lida com a doença mental no século XXI. Bergner começa por relatar o horror de um passado não muito distante, dos primeiros hospícios às lobotomias de Egas Moniz, evidenciando que se muito mudou, mudou mais ainda com a secundarização de Freud e a atribuição total de primazia ao poder da química para alterar a biologia. Podemos pensar que tudo foi sendo feito em nome da evidência científica, os problemas começam quando essa não é tão evidente como a indústria farmaceutica quer fazer crer. Os problemas acontecem quando a evidência funciona apenas para uma parte da população, enquanto na outra não vai além de placebo. Os problemas acontecem quando parecendo que funciona acaba por ditar uma qualidade de vida pior do que aquela que existia na sua ausência. Senti por vezes algum receio em continuar a leitura por, em partes, o discurso roçar a teoria da conspiração. Mas, o facto de Bergner ter vários livros publicados, escrever para algumas revistas de referência internacional, e acima de tudo estar a dar conta, em parte, de memórias vividas ao lado de um irmão que passou os últimos 40 anos a lutar com a doença, faz com que nos disponhamos a continuar a ler. Bergner questiona tudo e todos sobre os tratamentos, quase exclusivamente assentes no químico, que oferecemos à doença mental, terminando apenas com uma certeza, a de que continuamos a saber muito pouco sobre o funcionamento da mente.
continua no blog:
https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.com...
May 22, 2022
I’ve been an avid reader of Mad In America for years, so I was already familiar with the Mad healthcare system that was profiled in “The Mind and the Moon”. And, while no reviewer’s pan would have convinced me to forgo it, I couldn’t help but marvel at the outcry of triggered ableists in the comments section of Daniel Bergner’s New York Times article, “Doctors Gave Her Antipsychotics. She Decided to Live With Her Voices.”, which summarized his book. Knowing he would never have a large abled readership for his impressive and subversive journalism in its entirety, he adapted it for a subset of ableds he *could* reach: haters who would compulsively read a condensed version of his journalism in a prestige publication. The vitriol from that mob was predictable, infuriating, and overwhelming, but it passed my litmus test of nonfiction about Mad lives from an abled person’s pen. What I read was an account of repair, not “rehabilitation”, and revolution, both personal and public. Bergner’s voice naturally, yet carefully blended everyone’s experience until no space remained in his narrative for society’s ableist bullshit. He literally had to create and investigate his story as a Mad man would live his life - totally detached, or at least disengaged, from a society he never escapes. As a result, there was no element of Mad life absent from this book or distorted into salacious clickbait. “The Mind and the Moon” is a masterpiece.
April 23, 2023
I’m giving this one of my very rare fives. As a psychiatric survivor with traumatic experiences with our mental health system, I loved this book. I knew some of the folks talked about in a peripheral way which definitely helped me engage with the characters. I cofounded a peer led agency like the one mentioned in Caroline’s story and I cofacilitate Alternatives to Suicide groups that are also discussed in this book and co founded by Caroline. I have seen the power of people with lived experience holding space for others with lived experience and what beauty can happen when us Mad people are treated with respect. With curiosity rather than fear. What happens when we can tell our stories without fear of police being called or forced interventions. It’s nothing short of miraculous and it has saved my life. I appreciated the author’s sensitivity with all of the people he discussed and, unlike another similar type book I read recently, he believed them. He doesn’t have this paternalistic skepticism towards Caroline’s or his brothers experiences that many of us expect from people writing or talking about this. I truly appreciated this book and I wish that it would become way more popular so that maybe folks can get more of the reality of what our current mental health system is and the many ways it harms and doesn’t help people at all. Also. I so related to David and I think my take away with his story is that there are no super happy endings, that we instead come towards some acceptance of our darknesses and try to forge through this life with brains that are out of the norm and that make it hard just to get through the day sometimes. I hope David is at least ok right now. Bravo to Daniel Bergner for writing such an important book!
August 25, 2022
The Mind and the Moon by Daniel Bergner is an exploration into the experience of schizophrenia in the modern medical system. Bergner also explores themes of family, friendship, and the pitfalls of the mental health care system.
Bergner’s brother David was diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age. Bergner discusses his experience as a family member of someone diagnosed with schizophrenia as well as the history of psychiatric care.
This is a topic that I usually enjoy, unfortunately, Bergner’s clunky writing distracted from the main messages of the book. There were many times where the narrative seemed irrelevant or overly descriptive and I found myself skimming the page to find the narrative thread. His sentences were often long and I had to reread them several times to understand his meaning.
Bergner’s brother David was diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age. Bergner discusses his experience as a family member of someone diagnosed with schizophrenia as well as the history of psychiatric care.
This is a topic that I usually enjoy, unfortunately, Bergner’s clunky writing distracted from the main messages of the book. There were many times where the narrative seemed irrelevant or overly descriptive and I found myself skimming the page to find the narrative thread. His sentences were often long and I had to reread them several times to understand his meaning.
September 9, 2022
Mental health seems to be one of those fields where the pendulum swings wildly - from Freudian talk therapy to medication-as-panacea, and this book traces the arc of history of treating those with mental illness. Thought provoking and opened up a range of new insights for me. I've always taken it for granted that, of course, medication is the way to go. I had never considered the devastating side effects, the astounding lack of evidence that medication actually works (let alone an understanding of why), and the fascinating possibilities around acceptance of diversity. I don't live with mental illness, so am in no position to make judgments, but just found the new ways of thinking so intriguing. I also loved the deep and illuminating case histories that brought the science to life.
September 10, 2022
good mix of personal testimony and scientific research hehe
June 6, 2025
Had a lot of interesting tid bits but honestly jumped around too much and was less of a story and more of a disjointed essay
August 6, 2022
The Mind and the Moon by Daniel Bergner is a non-fiction book about mental health and medication. It follows three people in particular; his own brother, Bob, Caroline and David. Each person has been diagnosed with a mental illness and subsequently been given medication in an attempt to help. They all have unique stories and Bergner dives into the details of their experiences along with the deep and interesting history of medical drugs.
The book begins with taking a look at the history of how mental illness was perceived and treated through-out time. He talks the reader through medical advances as well as the now frowned upon procedures such as lobotomies, which were common practice. I found this incredibly interesting and it absolutely set up the book for delving into more personal stories after the reader has learnt more about mental illnesses. A note that they’re is a lot of medication names and procedures talked about, but I felt that it was done so in a way that was understandable, even if you have no background in these subjects!
Berger is very open that his inspiration for writing this book and quest to find out more about mediation and mental health was because of his brother, who was diagnosed as bipolar and was put on a locked ward as a young man. This led to his interest to other people like his brother who had been treated on various medications for years. I think this adds a personal aspect to the book which is absolutely felt. Although a lot of the writing was quite scientific, Bergner also included a personal atmosphere that made for a deeper, more meaningful, read.
It set a great tone to be so factual and talk so in depth about the history of medication but to also add personal stories. As Bergner says; it’s easy to forget the individual when treating someone with a mental illness and many doctors first instinct is to treat it with medication. By highlighting three individuals stories and showing how different they are and also that medication impacted them negatively in some ways, underlines that no one persons experience will be the same and allows the reader to connect mental illness and medicalisation to real people such as Caroline, David and Bob.
The book focuses on America (which was interesting to read as a Scot) and it’s problem with labelling people as mentally ill or neurodivergent only to immediately medicate them, even though these medications have some truly horrendous side effects. This is definitely a topic that I’d love to read more into and I’m really pleased that this book started this interest off for me.
Overall, this is a greatly informative book and one that more people should read to grasp a greater understanding of mental illness and the medications used to treat it.
Thank you so much for sending it to me Daniel!
The book begins with taking a look at the history of how mental illness was perceived and treated through-out time. He talks the reader through medical advances as well as the now frowned upon procedures such as lobotomies, which were common practice. I found this incredibly interesting and it absolutely set up the book for delving into more personal stories after the reader has learnt more about mental illnesses. A note that they’re is a lot of medication names and procedures talked about, but I felt that it was done so in a way that was understandable, even if you have no background in these subjects!
Berger is very open that his inspiration for writing this book and quest to find out more about mediation and mental health was because of his brother, who was diagnosed as bipolar and was put on a locked ward as a young man. This led to his interest to other people like his brother who had been treated on various medications for years. I think this adds a personal aspect to the book which is absolutely felt. Although a lot of the writing was quite scientific, Bergner also included a personal atmosphere that made for a deeper, more meaningful, read.
It set a great tone to be so factual and talk so in depth about the history of medication but to also add personal stories. As Bergner says; it’s easy to forget the individual when treating someone with a mental illness and many doctors first instinct is to treat it with medication. By highlighting three individuals stories and showing how different they are and also that medication impacted them negatively in some ways, underlines that no one persons experience will be the same and allows the reader to connect mental illness and medicalisation to real people such as Caroline, David and Bob.
The book focuses on America (which was interesting to read as a Scot) and it’s problem with labelling people as mentally ill or neurodivergent only to immediately medicate them, even though these medications have some truly horrendous side effects. This is definitely a topic that I’d love to read more into and I’m really pleased that this book started this interest off for me.
Overall, this is a greatly informative book and one that more people should read to grasp a greater understanding of mental illness and the medications used to treat it.
Thank you so much for sending it to me Daniel!
January 18, 2024
This is an interesting book, although I think the audio book would be better served with a different narrator (the author narrates; not badly, just not very well). It is a combination of account of his brother's mental illness, several other personal accounts, and a look at the history and development of psychotropic drugs and how many of our western medications have been developed out of luck, someone happening to notice a side effect of a drug intended for an entirely different purpose which is actually beneficial in treating depression, bi-polar, schizophrenia, etc.
I have heard it said that ALL drug effects are "side-effects" - but some of them are the side-effects you want (!!) - this may be more true than any of us would like to acknowledge. We are still in the first 50-60 years of having any medication to treat mental illness, anything less invasive than lobotomies. But medical science still doesn't really know how all that brain chemistry works - they *think* that seratonin does this, that norepinephrine does that (etc.), but human variation is vast and they're still sort of poking it with a stick and assessing the reaction, relatively speaking.
The author 'owns' his bad treatment (cruelty and often physical violence) of his younger brother in childhood and, while he doesn't blame the mental illness on his meanness or his parents' often-fraught relationship with the brother, there is a sense of subtle questioning: was his childhood a contributing factor?
In this book he also looks at some "alternative" (non-medicated) approaches, including settings which do not attempt to physically keep patients from self-harm or suicide, and while he makes a pretty good argument for adults being able allowed to talk about suicidal feelings without therapists and staff overreacting, I can't help but think of a friend's teenage son who succeeded in killing himself, and knowing that intervention to keep him alive would have given him a chance to grow beyond the angst and despair of the teenage years (which are brutal - worst years of my life) and come into some kind of adult balance, a better place with a greater sense of self-determination within it. KEEP THE KIDS ALIVE TO ADULTHOOD is my own strong reaction. Maybe with adults (mid-twenties, when the brain finally matures, and older) it might be a reasonable approach (or might not - the author doesn't advocate for it but advocates considering it).
But the author is also politicized, of typical atheist Jewish heritage, and his obvious bias in those arenas (presented as fact rather than opinion) make me wonder how unbiased he can be, when it comes to the medical science part of the picture.
I have heard it said that ALL drug effects are "side-effects" - but some of them are the side-effects you want (!!) - this may be more true than any of us would like to acknowledge. We are still in the first 50-60 years of having any medication to treat mental illness, anything less invasive than lobotomies. But medical science still doesn't really know how all that brain chemistry works - they *think* that seratonin does this, that norepinephrine does that (etc.), but human variation is vast and they're still sort of poking it with a stick and assessing the reaction, relatively speaking.
The author 'owns' his bad treatment (cruelty and often physical violence) of his younger brother in childhood and, while he doesn't blame the mental illness on his meanness or his parents' often-fraught relationship with the brother, there is a sense of subtle questioning: was his childhood a contributing factor?
In this book he also looks at some "alternative" (non-medicated) approaches, including settings which do not attempt to physically keep patients from self-harm or suicide, and while he makes a pretty good argument for adults being able allowed to talk about suicidal feelings without therapists and staff overreacting, I can't help but think of a friend's teenage son who succeeded in killing himself, and knowing that intervention to keep him alive would have given him a chance to grow beyond the angst and despair of the teenage years (which are brutal - worst years of my life) and come into some kind of adult balance, a better place with a greater sense of self-determination within it. KEEP THE KIDS ALIVE TO ADULTHOOD is my own strong reaction. Maybe with adults (mid-twenties, when the brain finally matures, and older) it might be a reasonable approach (or might not - the author doesn't advocate for it but advocates considering it).
But the author is also politicized, of typical atheist Jewish heritage, and his obvious bias in those arenas (presented as fact rather than opinion) make me wonder how unbiased he can be, when it comes to the medical science part of the picture.
July 9, 2022
In “The Mind and the Moon” Daniel Bergner deftly explores the failures of American psychiatry, by expertly researching the science, and through case studies of people who chose to treat their symptoms without medication.
Bergner describes the “desperation” of psychiatrists to establish their practice as legitimate science, especially through the publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), which starting with the DSM-III provided concrete categorization of various disorders with the aim to standardize diagnosis and possibly treatment. What he doesn’t actually cover is the driving forces behind this legitimization, which include the demands of a health insurance industry loathe to pay for mental health treatment. Yet mental health challenges only sometimes fit is a straightforward fashion – my own challenges cross these lines, and my working diagnoses have changed over the years depending on the provider.
For decades, the cause of psychosis has been assumed to be related to dopamine levels in the brain, and the favored treatment to be anti-psychotic medications designed to raise those levels. Second-generation (or atypical) anti-psychotics work on the same mechanism as Thorazine, originally introduced in 1952. Anti-psychotics often have intense side-effects, yet research on other treatments has been spotty and without significant gains. He looks at this, as well as the parallel serotonin-based medications for depression, through talking with several researchers and physicians.
Unfortunately, Bergner looks only at psychiatry, and not psychotherapy. Of the mental health professionals, only psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners can prescribe medication, but psychologists, clinical social workers, and mental health counselors are trained specifically to provide therapeutic support. Some psychiatrists provide these services in addition to medication management. While Bergner addresses peer support positively, there is a lack of attention to another source of help that has no side effects.
The book is not anti-psychiatry, although it may seem that its whole purpose is to malign a medical field that still falls short. Rather, I read this as a report on a practice that must develop new ideas for the treatment of mental health conditions. There was no singing from the rooftops to not take medication – there was singing about the importance of being more creative and kind about how we address each other, and not necessarily assuming medication will fix everything.
Bergner describes the “desperation” of psychiatrists to establish their practice as legitimate science, especially through the publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), which starting with the DSM-III provided concrete categorization of various disorders with the aim to standardize diagnosis and possibly treatment. What he doesn’t actually cover is the driving forces behind this legitimization, which include the demands of a health insurance industry loathe to pay for mental health treatment. Yet mental health challenges only sometimes fit is a straightforward fashion – my own challenges cross these lines, and my working diagnoses have changed over the years depending on the provider.
For decades, the cause of psychosis has been assumed to be related to dopamine levels in the brain, and the favored treatment to be anti-psychotic medications designed to raise those levels. Second-generation (or atypical) anti-psychotics work on the same mechanism as Thorazine, originally introduced in 1952. Anti-psychotics often have intense side-effects, yet research on other treatments has been spotty and without significant gains. He looks at this, as well as the parallel serotonin-based medications for depression, through talking with several researchers and physicians.
Unfortunately, Bergner looks only at psychiatry, and not psychotherapy. Of the mental health professionals, only psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners can prescribe medication, but psychologists, clinical social workers, and mental health counselors are trained specifically to provide therapeutic support. Some psychiatrists provide these services in addition to medication management. While Bergner addresses peer support positively, there is a lack of attention to another source of help that has no side effects.
The book is not anti-psychiatry, although it may seem that its whole purpose is to malign a medical field that still falls short. Rather, I read this as a report on a practice that must develop new ideas for the treatment of mental health conditions. There was no singing from the rooftops to not take medication – there was singing about the importance of being more creative and kind about how we address each other, and not necessarily assuming medication will fix everything.
September 1, 2022
In The Mind and the Moon, author Daniel Bergner walks us through modern medicine's approach to treating mental illness, starting with bloodletting, progressing to lobotomies, and landing on the strange evolution of medical psychiatry - that is, the effort to understand the brain as an organ like any other, where the problem can be identified and fixed through medication. He educates on the history of scientific discovery as it relates to mental illness, which in many ways boils down to the mind versus the brain paradigm. Can Freud fix our feelings? Or can scientists medicate us into happiness? Ultimately, it seems medicine won out (as evidenced by all those Zoloft commercials on television), and he discusses the evolution of psychotropic drugs (and dang, have scientists discovered/tested/touted some intense medications). He talks about the role that major pharmaceutical companies have had in pushing the "medication will cure depression" agenda, even as the doctors and scientists he interviews admit that really, they don’t know what they’re doing at all. He presents this discussion through the story of his younger brother, Bob, who was committed to psych wards in the 1980s, as well as other folks he meets - David, Caroline, Chacku - who have endured their own experiences with efforts to treat mental illness and lived to tell the tale.
I prefer books nonfiction books written by journalists and this one is no exception. Imagine taking a topic as academic as neurotransmitters and making it accessible and engaging. I found it so interesting to learn the history and science behind mental health treatment, but the real strength of this book is the application of those facts to the personal stories the author tells.
I prefer books nonfiction books written by journalists and this one is no exception. Imagine taking a topic as academic as neurotransmitters and making it accessible and engaging. I found it so interesting to learn the history and science behind mental health treatment, but the real strength of this book is the application of those facts to the personal stories the author tells.
July 31, 2022
Bergner argues against psychiatric medications. He gives the case studies of his brother, a roller derby queen turned disability activist/organizer, and a depressed civil rights litigator as people who were harmed by taking psych meds and led productive lives without them. Bergner also meets a number of brilliant researchers.
This book would have benefited from editing and an improved structure. For example, Bergner describes how his brother danced on the Seattle ferry deck several times, and always at extreme length. I didn't need page after page about the same exact thing. Also, the jumping from case subject to case subject was often jarring.
Bergner has important things to say, and this book is worth reading.
This book would have benefited from editing and an improved structure. For example, Bergner describes how his brother danced on the Seattle ferry deck several times, and always at extreme length. I didn't need page after page about the same exact thing. Also, the jumping from case subject to case subject was often jarring.
Bergner has important things to say, and this book is worth reading.
May 12, 2024
Exploration of mental health and pharmaceuticals that are meant to help us. There is good discussion of the tradeoffs between how psychoactive medication affects thought process and behavior of unmedicated individuals. Medication is not always the right solution, and neither is avoiding medication. The author seems to have a pessimistic view of the pharmaceutical industry and psychiatric doctors. Considering his experiences, that makes sense. Mental health is not as easy to manage as say a broken bone or a torn ligament. There are a lot of people working to find better solutions. I for one am optimistic that as long as there are people, like this author, who are advocating for better mental health care, we will continue to improve the situation.
May 16, 2025
While I can agree with having a more individualistic approach to mental health, since everyone is different, I disagree with the general ill sentiment towards using medication to treat mental health conditions. I have seen many people in my own life, myself included, do very well with these medications despite the occasional side effects. I've also seen people refuse medication and deteriorate and die. I tried very hard to meet a friend suffering from schizophrenia on their own terms and guide them away from paranoid delusions and dark power fantasies towards something better. But I learned you cannot convince a person to abandon a conviction they didn't come about by logic and reason. One can only hope better more targeted treatments with fewer side effects will soon be available.
May 25, 2022
Well written, but makes its point well before it ends
The book is a graceful recounting of the subjective and outward experiences of people with psychosis inside and outside orthodox drug-based treatment. If I understand correctly, the moral is that people fare better when you set aside psychiatry and diagnostic categories, and seek to understand each person as an individual. Simple talk can be healing in a way that drugs cannot.
I did find myself skimming because I was reading for the moral, and grew impatient with the recounted conversations with scientists, and the life stories of various psychotics. For another person, these would have been the strength of the book.
The book is a graceful recounting of the subjective and outward experiences of people with psychosis inside and outside orthodox drug-based treatment. If I understand correctly, the moral is that people fare better when you set aside psychiatry and diagnostic categories, and seek to understand each person as an individual. Simple talk can be healing in a way that drugs cannot.
I did find myself skimming because I was reading for the moral, and grew impatient with the recounted conversations with scientists, and the life stories of various psychotics. For another person, these would have been the strength of the book.
December 1, 2023
3.5 stars. I found the book interesting and at times compelling but in the end I found it wanting. In the end the book is about severe mental illness and the western world's focus on using medication to deal with it even though pharmacology is not very useful for so many people. Is there a better way? We meet 3 individuals. A lawyer, a mental health professional, and a pastor (the author's brother) and see their journey through the challenges of mental health and the inadequate help they receive. Along the way we get some of the history of mental illness and the history of medication to "deal" with it. I found it disheartening but hopeful that maybe there are better ways
August 1, 2022
The Mind and the Moon is me of the most riveting books I’ve read. I’m not in the medical field, so the first chapters giving historical data regarding drugs for the mentally ill and the psychiatrists who promoted them was a bit of a rough go. But those who were featured in the book who opted in the end to befriend their minds, forgoing extreme medications, were (are) inspirational and lend a shoulder to others with the same personality “disorders”. I read it via my library app, then bought it so I can go back and re-read the beginning chapters. I highly recommend this book!!
August 28, 2024
As someone who worked in a psychiatric hospital during my college years I long questioned the methods and use of pharmaceuticals to aid in treating patients. Bergner provides evidence that supports my concerns and fears.
This book highlights three persons who struggle with their illnesses. It takes you through their journeys to achieve mental health, and how NOT taking these harmful meds may actually be a path that proves beneficial.
It was uplifting to read how these three persons found their way. I wish them and all the souls seeking mental health good health.
This book highlights three persons who struggle with their illnesses. It takes you through their journeys to achieve mental health, and how NOT taking these harmful meds may actually be a path that proves beneficial.
It was uplifting to read how these three persons found their way. I wish them and all the souls seeking mental health good health.
December 20, 2024
Part biography, part learned treatise, this is an outstanding, sensitive portrayal of major mental illness with a truly nuanced understanding of the structures--social, psychiatric, and psychopharmalogical--that construct, contain, and define psychiatric disability. Neither an antipsychiatry rant nor an anti-drug polemic, Bergner's measured discussion and excellent research nevertheless call into question the widespread use of psychiatric medications and point to the severe limitations of the drugs that are served up with so much optimism and enthusiasm.
August 16, 2022
I truly enjoy reading psychology and self-help books and I was happy to accept a gifted copy of this book. The first half was truly engaging as the author incorporated real life stories of psychiatric patients (one is his brothers) along with a history of psychiatric medications. There was a wealth of very interesting data, a lot I did not know. The second half dragged a little but was still a good read.
Recommended For: Those interested in psychology books.
Recommended For: Those interested in psychology books.
October 11, 2022
Au début je me suis un peu mélangé les pinceaux au niveau de la temporalité. L'autrice passe du passé au présent sans prévenir et il m'a fallu un peu de temps pour m'y habituer. Toutefois, ça ne m'a pas trop perturbée. La plume est poétique et il faut bien avouer que ça aide à faire passer ce sujet douloureux et poignant. Je ne me suis pas spécialement attachées aux personnages, il manquait un petit quelque chose pour ça, mais j'ai été très touchée par leur histoire et leur combat !
November 28, 2023
Fantastic book that gives an inside look at those the world has labeled “crazy.” Beware, there are place with vulgar language as the author is accounting actual conversations. But they are not too often. This book has made me wonder if modern medicines “cures” are often worse than the illness. The fact is, the mind is still a mystery to modern medicine, and the “experts” are still very much practicing.
July 5, 2022
An unevenly written book that combines a history of psychiatry and psychiatric pharmaceuticals, and long magazine-style pieces reflecting on the mental health challenges and triumphs of three characters. At times leaning on an overly florid style, Bergner does summon interesting ideas for consideration on the role and limits of drugs used to treat psychosis.
August 20, 2022
The book is crazy interesting (no pun intended). Incendiary toward psychiatry and the psychopharmaceutical industry. They literally know their drugs are causing more harm than good but don’t care because it makes them money. Shades of tobacco, oil, and the Sacklers. The profiles are fascinating. Caroline with her voices, Daniel’s depression, the author’s brother Bob.
June 18, 2024
Hmm. Not my favourite schizophrenia book so far. I just couldn't focus on this one, it's a little bit too much all over the place, and I don't really like the "personal touches". Either write about yourself, or about the facts. Don't write about someone else as if you know their inner feelings when it's a work non fiction. My opinion.
February 24, 2025
It's hard to be critical of what is obviously a deeply personal book, but I found the thread of this book really hard to follow. There are some great facts, and some good personal stories. However, I finished the book wondering what the point was? Also it seemed like many of the stories being told just lack resolution. Maybe that is the point in all of it, but it just felt pretty unsatisfying.
July 2, 2022
This was a really interesting exploration of how we have used science to manage symptoms of mental illness throughout history. While weaving in the perspectives of various individuals who suffer from different forms of mental illness, Bergner used research and historically relevant information to portray the complexity of living with, embracing, and medicating mental illness.
April 5, 2023
This book brings up some very important questions about our belief that it is necessary to medicate our way out of mental health crises, psychosis, etc.
Three engaging stories interwoven with the science of what we know, what we don't know, and the history of how we got to where we are today.
Three engaging stories interwoven with the science of what we know, what we don't know, and the history of how we got to where we are today.
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