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Jump to navigationJump to searchYou Don't Have to be Mad to Work Here by Benji Waterhouse (view source)
Revision as of 09:10, 27 May 2024
, 27 Mayno edit summary
I was tempted to read ''You Don't Have to be Mad to Work Here'' after enjoying Adam Kay's first book {{amazonurl|isbn=1509858636|title=This is Going to Hurt}}, a glorious mixture of insight into the workings of the NHS, humour and autobiography. ''You Don't Have to be Mad...'' promised the same elements but moved from physical problems to mental illness and the work of a psychiatrist. I did wonder whether it was acceptable to be looking for humour in this setting but the laughter is directed at a situation rather than a person and it is always delivered with empathy and understanding.
Names have been changed to protect the vulnerable. Worryingly, I found many of the problems rang uncomfortable bells from real life. Even more worrying was that I'd never considered that someone with outlandish beliefs needed help rather than laughter. I've not encountered a woman in a wedding dress convinced that she was on her way to St Paul's Cathedral for her wedding to Harry Styles, whom she'd never metbut I have been presented with similar beliefs. It's that point where daydreaming and harmless fantasising tip over into mental illness. I would think that most of us have been part way down that road.
I thought that the case of the lorry driver with schizophrenia who believed that he had a coronavirus cure was less outlandish. After all, an American president was keen to take credit for ''his'' suggestion that bleach would solve the problem. Some might have thought that his sanity was questionable but nothing was ever done about it.
