Mental Entertainment

Psychiatrist Dr Steve Ellen and comedian Catherine Deveny combine forces to demystify the world of mental health. Providing an insider perspective, they share their personal experiences of mental illness and unpack the current knowledge about conditions and treatments. Punctuated with anecdotes, real-life stories and reflections on the cultural and historical context, Mental is an irreverent and entertaining guide to the full spectrum of mental health issues - from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia, personality disorders and substance abuse.

My father pays heaps of money for doctors at the Norfolk Psychiatric Center to fix me. I've spent six months of my prime teenage years at this residential facility - a place for teenagers who've gone mental. Just when I begin to feel myself fade away, a boy with a wolfish smile and mischievous eyes reels me in. Julian is broken, too, but he believes in me enough for the both of us. Through him I begin to experience this thing called hope. Doctors can't fix me, my parents can't either, but maybe it's not me who needs fixing.

Dr. Marlene Payne provides a guide to mental health for missionaries, their families, church leaders and therapists. Through anonymous case studies and personal interviews with mission presidents and returned missionaries, she addresses the most common psychiatric disorders, their definition, course, and treatment, including: bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, body dysmorphic disorder and Asperger's syndrome.