A patient is standing in the middle of the river, his back turned to the
hospital. The nurses are waiting for him patiently on the riverbank. He
seems uncertain whether to cross the river or to return. There is no
danger. He is in an in-between space, as is the hospital where I have
worked as a specialist psychiatrist for over twenty-five years.
For many of us, what lies beyond conventional portrayals of mental
illness is often shrouded in mystery, misconception and fear. Dr Sean
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.
The stories told are authentic, mysterious and compelling, representing
both vivid expressions of minds in turmoil and the struggle to give form
and meaning to distress. The author seeks to describe these encounters
in a respectful way, believing that careless portrayals of madness cause
further suffering and perpetuate the burden of stigma.
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.
Madness is illustrated by award-winning artist Fiona Moodie.
