What Happened? What Mental Health is Really About

If you consult a psychiatrist for assistance with a mental health problem you will be subjected to the What’s wrong with you? approach. You will be assessed, diagnosed and then treated, most commonly with a pill to combat your purportedly biologically based ill. But what if this is a hazardous and flawed paradigm? What if psychiatrists are inherently unable to reliably diagnose what ails you? Or, despite the listing of over 250 ‘mental illnesses’ in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, what if there are only eight different types of interventions available to treat this myriad of different ‘mental illnesses?’ Furthermore, what if you take pills that change your brain biochemistry, but the biological basis of all the purported ‘mental illnesses’ are unknown? Could there be an alternative? And just maybe, are we being asked the wrong question? With over 40 years as a practicing psychologist and educator, Dr. Bill Saunders takes us on an open, honest, heartfelt and sometimes confronting journey of human experience. In his book, Bill challenges some of the ‘truths’ we know about mental health, sharing real stories that will make you laugh and cry, and sometimes leave you in shock! So, if you want to know what Mental Health is really about this is the book to read. AUTHOR: Dr. Bill Saunders is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice in Perth. He has more than 40 years of experience as both a psychologist and as an educator.