Stranger Than Fiction: When Our Minds Betray Us

The complexities of mental disorders and their treatment are discussed in this book. Using the metaphor of the "lie of the mind", a disorder in which a person's thinking becomes unintentionally distorted, the authors approach mental illness from the perspective that these disorders are merely extreme variations of universally shared thoughts, feelings and behaviours. This work seeks to remove the artificial division separating the mentally ill from the general public and demystify symtoms that often seem bizarre. Case studies are referred to so that readers can see what each therapist confronts when treating disturbed patients. The authors argue that clinical decisions often rely more on educated hunches than medical certainties and that the practice of psychiatry is as much an art as it is a science.

About the Author :
Marc D. Feldman, M.D., is Vice Chair for Clinical Services in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He is also Medical Director of the UAB Center for Psychiatric Medicine and is a recipient of an Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Jacqueline M. Feldman, M.D., Director of the Division of Public Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is also Executive Director of the UAB Comprehensive Community Mental Health Center and Medical Director of the UAB Community Psychiatry Program. She has received the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

Review :
Stranger Than Fiction is a well-written and researched presentation of a variety of complex and psychopathologies, both individual and group. With excellent case material, buttressed by an easy and understandable flow that could be a source of intriguing and interesting reading to laypersons and professionals, it is packed with keen observations. It lends itself nicely to reading in segments, if necessary. Definitions, theories, medications, and references are all current and represent reasonably available resources. Brief tribute also is due the American Psychiatric Press, publisher in recent years of many readable volumes of increasing content quality and pleasing design. Stranger Then Fiction is commendable in every regard. Stranger Than Fiction will be useful to people who want to learn more about mental illness, especially in its more dramatic forms. The book will provide perspective as well as information to family members, friends, and other acquainted with people who have a mental illness, and patients themselves may find it serviceable. The Feldmans offer a masterful review of the false memory syndrome, but the chapter does not stop there. They continue with sections on facilitated communication, satanic ritual abuse, and John Mack's alien abductions-topics that belong together. . . . Because Stranger Than Fiction is written for the general public, people will learn about the false memory syndrome who might not read a whole book on the topic. I highly recommend it. . . . The general public will greatly enjoy this book, especially the many fascinating case examples.