Comments for Mental Healt and Anxiety | Solve Your Problems Right NOW

Comment on Gracefully Insane: Life and Death Inside America’s Premier Mental Hospital by Timothy Gager

Timothy Gager — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 05:34:30 +0000

Alex Beam is a reporter/columnist for the Boston Globe. In this remarkable book he recounts the history of McLean’s Hospital in Belmont, which covers history of treatments, grounds, theory and perceptions. McLean’s is/was an incredible place. In it’s hayday its exterrior was set up like a country club, pools, tennis courts, while the treatment du jour was brain surgery (lobotomy) and electric shock therapy. It explores the “we’re the experts and you’re not” mentallity of psychiatrists which still occurs. It also recalls how it was the Betty Ford of mental health in-patient centers. The hospital served people such as James Taylor, Sylvia Plath, and Susanna Kaysen. Although mentioned in a chapter, the focus of this book is not just this. Interesting to know that poetry groups and groups for the arts are still occurring on-site.

This book is a complete account of the exterrior and interrior workings of McLeans. Even today, if you walk the grounds, it feels like you’re walking a college campus. The place is green, and beautiful. Beam’s words and wit, his historic sense, his story telling, and his focus on detail is all encompassing. This book is wonderful and fascinating.
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on Gracefully Insane: Life and Death Inside America’s Premier Mental Hospital by JD

JD — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 03:30:25 +0000

By the time McLean Hospital opened its doors in the mid-19th century, mental illness had been treated by various methods: lowering the patient into a dungeon filled with snakes, pelting him with vigorous spouts of cold water, inducing vomiting, draining great quantities of blood, spinning him on a rotating board, dosing him with opium and hashish, and soaking him in a warm, electrified bath. Founded at the dawn of the Freudian age, McLean offered something revolutionary: fresh-baked rolls and art lessons, therapy by landscaping. Alex Beam gives us a fascinating tour of the next century in what one doctor bemoaned as the “medical playground” of psychiatry. On the manicured campus in Belmont, doctors adopted and then rejected lobotomy, adopted and rejected Freudian analysis, and were finally drawn with all their profession in the direction of psychopharmacology. Anne Sexton taught poetry there before her own suicide, and Sylvia Plath and Susanna Kaysen emerged with syllabus-ready memoirs, and one patient of Freud’s greeted doctors every morning by saying “I am my father’s penis.” Beam is a skeptical inquirer, and his book may ruffle the feathers of local psychiatrists. (Has ruffled, actually.) But for ordinary readers, he does what few writers have done — tell with humor and intelligence the story of doctors and patients groping through suffering and toward some kind of answer.
Rating: 4 / 5

Comment on Gracefully Insane: Life and Death Inside America’s Premier Mental Hospital by R. Hardy

R. Hardy — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 02:19:37 +0000

We still have psychiatric asylums, places where those intractable patients of minimal hope of improvement are kept. It is useful to look at the original sense of the word “asylum,” which meant a sanctuary, where those inside could take refuge from the outside. Such refuge is no longer the fashion, with “community care” (and plenty of antipsychotic medicines) deemed a sufficient refuge for most. But the rich are different, as everyone knows, and it used to be that there were posh institutes where a family could house (or warehouse) a dotty cousin and could rely upon discretion to keep the patient quiet and quietly removed from society, or Society. Now there is a biography of one of these institutions, one which had a reputation among the moneyed as being the best in the business. _Gracefully Insane: The Rise and Fall of American’s Premier Mental Hospital_ (PublicAffairs) by Alex Beam tells the story of McLean Hospital, which had a long guest register of famous and moneyed clients.

Beam does not spend much time on the early history of the hospital. In 1895 it moved to its grand grounds in the woodsy Boston suburbs and it became home to “an improved class of sufferers.” It housed a rather amazing cast of characters, and perhaps in tune with the upbeat and upscale McLean atmosphere, they are presented as amusing eccentrics. Beam does not emphasize the pain of their conditions, but he does show the futility of treatment (insulin shock, hydrotherapy, talk therapies, electroshock) for most of them. As pharmaceutical therapies and then managed-care became the way to treat psychiatric patients, McLean lagged behind. Many of the patients stayed on and on, getting expensive care paid in a lump initial sum by families who never wanted to see them again. The hospital is selling off its grand properties and is also going back to its roots; a new, small facility called the Pavilion will take psychiatric care of those whose families can afford $1,800 a night, and it is proving to be popular.

McLean’s story is thus part of the larger modern history of inpatient psychiatric treatment, but it is a peculiar one because of its elite patients. It is a remarkable list who stayed there, and they were not all distinguished only by having wealth. The poets Robert Lowell, Anne Sexton, and Sylvia Plath wrote about their stays, as did Susanna Kaysen, author of _Girl Interrupted_. John Nash, of _A Beautiful Mind_, was there, as were James Taylor and his brother Livingston and sister Kate. Ray Charles was there following a drug bust. The celebrity patients come and go through these pages, which more importantly contain a entertaining history writ small of American psychiatry.
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on Gracefully Insane: Life and Death Inside America’s Premier Mental Hospital by Michael Ramseur

Michael Ramseur — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 01:15:50 +0000

I really enjoyed reading Gracefully Insane: The Rise and Fall of America’s Premier Mental Hospital. It’s a book that I found both entertaining and erudite. Alex Beam’s exceptional writing talent brings to life a colorful and misunderstood institution, the famous McLean Hospital. He effortlessly interweaves annecdotal stories of the rich, famous, and talented (not necessarily in that order) with an insightful look into the history of mental health in America. I find this book to be both scholarly and a tantalizing read–no mean feat! Beam captures the tragic/comic aspects of his complex subject in a way that leaves me feeling wistful for the days when patients were able to stay long enough in a hospital to receive therapeutic benefits. Ultimately, the author vividly captures a McLean Hospital that, despite its faults and shortcomings, provided a much needed asylum from modern life for many fortunate enough to afford it.
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on Gracefully Insane: Life and Death Inside America’s Premier Mental Hospital by Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 22:20:28 +0000

By the time McLean Hospital opened its doors in the mid-19th century, mental
illness had been treated by such methods as lowering the patient into a
dungeon filled with snakes, pelting him with vigorous spouts of cold water,
inducing vomiting, draining great quantities of blood, spinning him on a
rotating board, dosing him with opium and hashish, and soaking him in a warm,
electrified bath. Founded at the dawn of the Freudian age, McLean offered
something revolutionary: fresh-baked rolls and art lessons, therapy by
landscaping. Alex Beam gives us a fascinating tour of the next century in
what one doctor bemoaned as the "medical playground" of psychiatry. On the
manicured campus in Belmont, doctors adopted and then rejected lobotomy,
adopted and rejected Freudian analysis, and were finally drawn with all their
profession in the direction of psychopharmacology. Anne Sexton taught poetry
there before her own suicide, and Sylvia Plath and Susanna Kaysen emerged
with syllabus-ready memoirs, and one patient of Freud's greeted doctors every
morning by saying "I am my father's penis." Beam is a skeptical inquirer, and
his book may ruffle the feathers of local psychiatrists. (Has ruffled.) But for ordinary readers, he does what few writers
have done -- tell with humor and intelligence the story of doctors and
patients groping through their suffering and toward some kind of answer. Rating: 4 / 5

Comment on Pro-Choice on Mental Health by Weirdomusic

Weirdomusic — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 23:47:36 +0000

Pro-choice on mental health by Peter Dizozza is a weird CD. In fact, I don’t know what to think of it. Is this guy serious? According to his website “he devotes his working life to creating innovative and stimulating entertainment and helping his audience develop confidence, enlightenment and serenity through self-expression”. He can’t really sing and the ‘mini-plays’ on this CD ramble on without making much sense. So check it out if you’re into really weird stuff, but don’t blame me if you fall asleep!
Rating: 2 / 5

Comment on Pro-Choice on Mental Health by Peter Dizozza

Peter Dizozza — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:04:33 +0000

Well this is certainly not something we at Smother.Net get every day. This monologue/mini-play all about mental health or lack thereof is quite compelling. Although it may have some roots in the anti-folk movement this is much more brilliant and original. Consisting of seven songs that are mixed with monologues that move along the whole theme, “Pro-Choice on Mental Health” asks the question of whether mental health is a choice or is up to chemistry. Quite interesting and no words could do this album justice so pick it up for yourself.

- J-Sin
Rating: 4 / 5

Comment on Pro-Choice on Mental Health by Peter Dizozza

Peter Dizozza — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:54:36 +0000

Here’s a thoughtful review by Luke Martin of Splendid Magazine.

This is an odd CD. Inside its bright pink cover is a collection of narratives and songs, as well as a mini-play, all about the idea of how much choice one can exercise in terms of mental health. Prozac Nation meets Sondheim? Kind-of: if you could work a bit of Ben Folds into the mix, you’d have it nailed. And hey, it’s not every recording that features a narrator who walks through Williamsburg, calls up Alban Berg to ask how his wife is, or imagines he’s a horse owned by a violent jockey, is it?

Musically, this disc is quite simple: Dizozza sings and plays keys, while producer/recorder Joe Bendik handles guitar, bass and percussion. This is the sort of setup that means that anything less than strong songwriting will see the music flounder — something that occasionally happens, though it’s usually overridden by the croaky appeal of Dizozza’s voice.

“No Problem There” hits the same sort of stridency that drove Billy Joel back when he was still writing compelling material, and contains some ballsy piano playing that is the first hint — along with some pretty nifty vocal doubletracking, in places — that Dizozza can hammer together a great tune. Sure, the form that he’s writing in can sound a little limiting at times, but there are some sly guitar additions, and some pretty liquid lyricism — “The Song Of Laughter And Forgetting”‘s Freudian bus-ride, for example — that can carry over any background cheesiness.

In terms of professionalism and pizzazz, I found it really, really difficult at times not to think of Christopher Guest’s film Waiting For Guffman. I can only assume that Dizozza is incredibly honest and dedicated about this topic; it’s this naïveté and lack of overt “Look! It’s irony!”-style asides that make the album work. While there are a couple of moments where Dizozza’s narrative veers towards the overtly Woody Allenish, the honesty that’s hinted at (and finally loosed on the bonus monologue on the Social Security Department) is what makes this disc successful: it’s honest and unadorned.

Enhanced copies of the album come with Queen Lili Ukalani’s Bonus Sampler: a collection of tracks from other Cinema VII recordings. These throw the tracks on Pro-Choice On Mental Health into sharp relief: their seriousness is underscored, whereas some of the sampler’s tunes sound like just…songs. Still, it’s interesting to hear what else rests in the CVII stables: my interest is definitely piqued.

Pro-Choice On Mental Health isn’t the sort of thing that I’m going to put on the stereo very often, but in a way, I’m glad that it’s there. It’s a reasonably well-written excursion into musical theatre that doesn’t rely on (God forbid) Lloyd-Webberisms to work. The album engages a topic that’s of increasing importance, but seems to do so without
any tedious voice-of-God-style proclamation. And it’s good, dorky fun that’s not afraid to be serious. That, I like. — Luke Martin.
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on Pro-Choice on Mental Health by Gormin Dials

Gormin Dials — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:51:41 +0000

This controversial CD mixes music with analytical monologues documenting the tragic ironical consequences that can result when the disenfranchised inhabitants of NYC’s lower east side collide with government social service agencies.
Rating: 5 / 5

Comment on A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health: Social Contexts, Theories, and Systems by Jen DR

Jen DR — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 05:37:37 +0000

I ordered this for a college class and the book arrived in great condition and within days. I was nervous since this was my 1st time buying off the internet but I was very impressed and will do it again.
Rating: 5 / 5