Voluntary madness

Norah Vincent's last book left her emotionally drained. Suffering from severe depression, Vincent felt she was a danger to herself. On the advice of her psychologist she committed herself to a mental institution. Out of this raw and overwhelming experience came the idea for her next book. She decided to get healthy and to study the effect of treatment on the depressed and insane "in the bin," as she calls it. Vincent's journey takes her from a big city hospital to a facility in the Midwest and finally to an upscale retreat down south, as she analyzes the impact of institutionalization on the unwell, the tyranny of drugs-as-treatment, and the dysfunctional dynamic between caregivers and patients. Vincent exposes her personal struggle insightfully as she explores the range of people, caregivers, and methodologies that guide these strange, often scary, and bizarre environments.