A fascinating and personal account of how we as a society deal with so-called madness, and how it impacts us all.

A fascinating and in-depth exploration into the theme of madness and its machinations. Baumann has a sharp handle on what constitutes madness of mind and pens an intriguing and persuasive polemic on one of the most ambiguous and neglected topics of our epoch. For anyone looking for a stimulating and lively investigation that goes beyond merely scratching the surface, this comes highly recommended.

For many of us, mental illness is often shrouded in mystery, misconception and fear. Baumann spent decades as a psychiatrist at Valkenberg Hospital and, through his personal engagement with patients’ various forms of psychosis, he describes the lived experiences of those who suffer from schizophrenia, depression, bipolar and other disorders.

Baumann argues cogently for a more inclusive way of making sense of mental health. With sensitivity and empathy, his enquiries into the territories of art, psychology, consciousness, otherness, free will and theories of the self reveal how mental illness raises questions that affect us all.

The premise of this book sounded right up my street, and this was a book I was genuinely really looking forward to reading.
However, I really disliked my reading experience. I was expecting lots of stories looking at different ideas on 'madness' - but what I got was a really dull, dense book of words that mostly went over my head.
I really really did not like this book, and do not think the blurb and the title actual relate to what is inside the book. Not for me!