Synopses & Reviews
A and#8220;clear, witty, and engagingand#8221; (andlt;Iandgt;The Boston Globeandlt;/Iandgt;) journey through the brain that connects neuroscience, biology, and culture. An and#8220;intellectual landmarkand#8221; (Edward Shorter, andlt;Iandgt;Literary Review of Canadaandlt;/Iandgt;).andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The current view of delusionsand#8212;the strange beliefs held by people with schizophrenia and other psychiatric illnessesand#8212;is that they are the result of biology gone awry, of neurons in the brain misfiring. In andlt;Iandgt;Suspicious Minds, andlt;/Iandgt;Dr. Joel Gold and his brother Ian Gold argue that delusions are the result of the interaction between the brain and the social world. They present and#8220;a dual broadside: against a psychiatric profession that has become infatuated with neuroscience as part of its longstanding attempt to establish itself as and#8216;real medicine,and#8217; and against a culture that has become too networked for its own goodand#8221; (andlt;Iandgt;The New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt;). The book and#8220;amounts to nothing less than a frontaland#8212;or perhaps pre-frontaland#8212;challenge to the dominant view of modern psychiatry, which looks to neuroscience to explain disorders of the mindand#8221; (andlt;Iandgt;The Washington Postandlt;/Iandgt;).andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;In and#8220;a droll Oliver Sacksian toneand#8221; andlt;Iandgt;(The Village Voice),andlt;/Iandgt; the Golds reveal intriguing case studiesandlt;Iandgt;: andlt;/Iandgt;the man who was dead and in hell, the woman who could raise the dead at Ground Zero, the man who killed God, and the people who believed they were like the characters in the film andlt;Iandgt;The Truman Show.andlt;/Iandgt; These and#8220;page-turning case studiesand#8221; (andlt;Iandgt;New Republicandlt;/Iandgt;) of delusion and#8220;offer a fascinating and intimate portrait of psychosisand#8221; (andlt;Iandgt;Scientific Americanandlt;/Iandgt;). and#8220;They provide more proof that no fantasist can hope to match the wondersand#8212;and horrorsand#8212;of the human mindand#8221; (andlt;Iandgt;The Washington Postandlt;/Iandgt;).
Review
and#8220;This remarkable book isnand#8217;t just a crash course in delusions, which would be interesting enough. Itand#8217;s a history of psychiatry, a thriller, an expose of dubious brain science, a collection of fascinating and heartbreaking mini-biographies, and a warning about the fragmentation of modern life.and#8221;
Review
"A compulsively readable and unexpectedly entertaining book that stands as a needed corrective to a purely biological explanation for mental illness. By emphasizing the cultural vector for madness, the Gold brothers reveal their compassionate understanding of both the sick and the saneand#8212;and the surprisingly porous border between those two states."
Review
and#8220;A powerful and engaging examination of how insanity is molded by culture. Pithy, insightful, and engrossing.and#8221;
Review
"An excellent portrayal of delusions and madness, well written, well researched and exciting to read. Written by experts in the field, I highly recommend this book to all those who want a deeper understanding of the mind and how it works."
Review
"A provocative new perspective on the diagnosis, and therefore treatment, of mental illness."
Review
"Evidently, [the Gold brothers] hypothesize in a droll Oliver Sacksian tone, culture has a great deal of influence on trends in madness."
Synopsis
A "clear, witty, and engaging" (The Boston Globe) journey through the brain that connects neuroscience, biology, and culture. An "intellectual landmark" (Edward Shorter, Literary Review of Canada).
The current view of delusions--the strange beliefs held by people with schizophrenia and other psychiatric illnesses--is that they are the result of biology gone awry, of neurons in the brain misfiring. In Suspicious Minds, Dr. Joel Gold and his brother Ian Gold argue that delusions are the result of the interaction between the brain and the social world. They present "a dual broadside: against a psychiatric profession that has become infatuated with neuroscience as part of its longstanding attempt to establish itself as 'real medicine, ' and against a culture that has become too networked for its own good" (The New York Times). The book "amounts to nothing less than a frontal--or perhaps pre-frontal--challenge to the dominant view of modern psychiatry, which looks to neuroscience to explain disorders of the mind" (The Washington Post).
In "a droll Oliver Sacksian tone" (The Village Voice), the Golds reveal intriguing case studies the man who was dead and in hell, the woman who could raise the dead at Ground Zero, the man who killed God, and the people who believed they were like the characters in the film The Truman Show. These "page-turning case studies" (New Republic) of delusion "offer a fascinating and intimate portrait of psychosis" (Scientific American). "They provide more proof that no fantasist can hope to match the wonders--and horrors--of the human mind" (The Washington Post).
About the Author
Joel Gold, MD, is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine. He is in private practice in Manhattan.Ian Gold, PhD, is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Psychiatry at McGill University.