You Don't Have to Be Mad to Work Here

This book has gone through some masterful editing work because the way is constructed not only makes it flow smoothly but is also very gripling. The story of Benji Waterhouse feels very raw, following the struggles and disillusions of working in NHS's psychiatry but also interweaving his own experiences of familial dysfunctions and being on the receiving end of psychotherapy.

It was at times shocking insight to the ins and outs of inpatient and outpatient psychiatric treatment and how the system of healthcare makes it difficult to provide people with the care they often need. "You Don't Have to Be Mad to Work Here" also showcases coping mechanisms if psychiatric wards staff and the author makes sure there's enough context given to his mental health-related musings.

What a great book! As well as giving you a devastating look into the impossibly pressured world of NHS psychiatry, it’s personal and humorous.
Dr Benji Waterhouse writes this via case studies - the one that sticks in my mind is the very posh banker with a noose in his bathroom - and via his account of his own therapy, dysfunctional family and new relationship with Esther.
What’s saddest is the way his supervisor quickly teaches him to shut down his compassionate questioning in order to move the patients through the system quickly. And the suicide bridge where one side is in one NHS area and the other in another, leading psychiatrists to pass the buck wherever possible.
Highly recommended: hilarious, realistic and sad by equal measure.

As a current worker within mental health this was certainly a book that attracted me. It was a wonderfully written eye opener,
It’s a must read and is something I would recommend to others in and outside of the NHS and mental health.

You Don't have to be Mad to work here by Benji Waterhouse is a fantastic book. I loved it.

Benji is a Psychiatrist in the NHS and this is his story of working over the last couple of years, including during the covid pandemic. The tales of work are interspersed with his own life events and looking back over his life before becoming a Doctor.

Its well written with lots of humour to lift you from some of the devastating cases that he sees. Definitely makes you look at mental health care in the NHS in a different way.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the ARC Copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.

Will post review on Amazon once released.

“You don’t have to be mad to work here” is a refreshingly well-written memoir, slash non-fiction, medical book by Dr Benji Waterhouse about NHS mental health services.

The book appealed to me as I have first-hand experiences with the NHS mental health service, in fact, there is a recurring patient within the book with the same (perhaps erroneously, for me) diagnosis, and it was nice to see a doctor not stigmatise it further. Waterhouse presents the patients carefully, with thought and spattered with humour, with extremely dark moments.
 
Moments in the book made me laugh; others made me despair about the direction of the NHS. I give credit to Dr Waterhouse for at moments commenting about how the lack of resources in the NHS (time, money, staff, beds, etc.) resulted in attempts to quick-discharge patients and speed-running assessing patients in A&E with backlogs. A lot of doctors, I’m sure would shy away from making such comments about themselves and their shifting attitudes in their work - losing compassion overtime.
 
This is a book about what it is like to work in psychiatry, but also about his own life—his parents, relationships, his brothers, and his own mental health struggles—including his own depression and increasing hopelessness. This book documents, true moments of personal despair and triumph. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about the NHS and the state it is in, people who enjoy doctors memoirs— it particularly reminded me of Dr. Richard Shepherd's ( a forensic pathologist) books, as the book has some hard hitting personal elements intertwined with patients stories.

Will definitely recommend to customers who are fans of the above, or looking for a different type of book!


Very good, 5/ 5. Thank you netgalley and the publishers for an ARC, in exchange for an honest review

Having worked in the mental health system I was really interested to read Benji Waterhouses's memoirs centring around his training in psychiatry. It reminded me a little of Dr Adam Kay's books but Benji's honesty, openness and true commitment to his clients shone through and gave this book a warmer feel in my opinion.
The personal and professional challenges Benji faced both on and off the wards were dealt with with humour and sensitivity and served to highlight the flaws in a very inadequately resourced mental health system. There were moments of sadness alongside glimmers of hope but I was left with an overwhelming sense of the need for extensive change within NHS mental health services for the sake of both patients and staff.
This could have been a doom and gloom book but Benji's wit prevented this from being the case and there were plenty of laugh out loud moments. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
I am grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book.

An excellent and well-written book. I couldn't put it down. It is a sad indictment of the woeful level of NHS mental health provision in this country, which has absolutely nothing to do with the hard-working staff who struggle every day to try and help their patients. It is frankly heart-breaking to see how a whole sector of society is deemed unimportant by the people who control the money. This book was a real eye-opener for me, and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who cares about mental health.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The use of comedy, particularly black humour, suits the discussion of mental illness. As someone who's had mental illness on and off, sometimes you need to make fun of it to not allow it to be in charge.
An interesting and often poignant insight into mental health services and the effect it can have on those at the frontline.
I admire the writer's honesty in reflecting upon his own mental health and the impact of the patenting he received.
Lots of interesting cases and their outcomes. It leaves me more frustrated though about how low the government place mental health services in their funding and agendas.

Loved this book. Although if I’m ever having a mental health crisis, please remind me not to do it on the NHS. Cleverly-written, this book takes you through the mental healthcare system, the people who keep it afloat and those who miraculously make it in - and hopefully - out the other side. Laugh out loud portrayal of a web of people and places both in and outside the system where eventually compassion and love will find its way to the fore.

Having worked in the NHS I am drawn to medical memoirs and this one is brilliant. Open, honest and eminently readable, we follow Dr Waterhouse into his chosen speciality as a Psychiatrist through case histories and his own doubts about his chosen career. He comes from a dysfunctional but loving family which he explores through his own therapy.
Underpinning it all is the state of Mental Health services; underfunded, lack of beds, lack of staff and the danger inherent in dealing with the odd dangerous patient. It’s no wonder doctors burn out.
Nevertheless there is a lot of humour in the book, some of it laugh out loud but never demeaning. Lots of footnotes also which add to the clarity. A stellar read which I really enjoyed.

SUCH an entertaining yet eye-opening read! It is a memoir of Dr Benji Waterhouse’s first forays into working as a NHS psychiatrist, through various inpatient and community placements. Alongside describing the patients he meets and the profession struggles he faces, he also describes confronting his personal demons through therapy. It sounds like a tough read, and while it is in places (it forces the reader to face the plight of NHS services), that bleakness is tempered by the humour infused in the descriptions. In places, this book is laugh-out-loud funny, and I say this as someone who is currently a patient in NHS mental health services. It is funny but in no way degrading of individuals and their illnesses.

Five stars from me!

Thank you so much to the publisher for giving me free access to this ARC in return for a fair review.

Wry memoirs about mental illness, whether by patients or those who care for them, are my comfort read (let's not delve too deeply into what this says about me). This is one of the best I have read, the perfect blend of vulnerability and gallows humour. I loved the passages about family and relationships as much as the insights into the workings (or not) of the NHS. Comparisons to Adam Kay are inevitable - there are as many laughs on these pages, but there's a warmth and humility, and a respect and compassion for the patients, that sets Waterhouse apart.

This is a great book. I recommend it to anyone interest in what happens inside the British NHS mental health services. The author is a psychiatrist and the book takes you through his training years and experiences. I have some familiarity with what he describes because a friend suffered from mental illness and was regularly on a section or about to be placed on one and met a number of nurses and psychiatrists at that time. While I think we are all more comfortable about talking about mental health in terms of mindfulness, anxiety and self-care, I don’t think society yet has a handle on mental illness such as paranoia, psychosis and mania. I feel like this book introduces it via some damaged and unfortunate individuals, and it helps to familiarise and humanise what is otherwise scary and “different”. It does so with a light touch and maybe people will realise how many are struggling because the services are oversubscribed and psychiatrists are burning out with the pressure.

The author has a self-deprecating sense of humour and describes his childhood so brilliantly without blame. I hope he’s doing OK now and his Dad finished the building project he started!

Great read, really enjoyed it! Great insight into a psychiatrist world. Very funny and moving. Definitely recommend if you enjoyed This is going to hurt.

I liked this book for two good reasons: the sense of humor that constantly made me laugh out loud and the true, raw story of what it is like to work as a physiotherapist for the NHS. So many nerve-gripping and intense stories were shared, making my heart feel it, and my mind is still wondering and questioning the UK health support systems for both the patients and health professionals. I admire the mental strength that goes behind these tough decision-makings. The doctor not only shared his true story but also other work colleagues' stories. I'm grateful for the opportunity to read something so raw and honest. Thank you to the author and NetGalley; I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I really loved this book. It was very honest about the constraints of working in the NHS and very engaging. Despite the complex topic it was really easy to read and all the characters were bought to life in a sensitive and empathetic way.

Thanks to PRH as always for the early access, I very much enjoyed this and really hope that everyone gives it a read as it’s such a fantastic book. It’s a very insightful and interesting account of what it’s really like to work as an NHS psychiatrist, highlighting all the challenges that doctors face. It’s humorous and funny, but also heart breaking to learn about some of the true stories patients and staff have been through. Benji’s writing style is relaxed and easy to read, and is never bogged down in technical terms that no one apart from doctors would understand. It gives you just the right amount of information for you to understand the job and speciality. I genuinely couldn’t put it down, it's brilliant and I can’t wait for this to be published!

Superb!

Everyone should read this book. Mental health needs investment and understanding, compassion and support.

Incredible storytelling, with humour, warmth and compassion, yet never shying away from the complexities and realities of mental illness. The case studies are powerful. Some patients are able to manage their condition, some do not and some do make recoveries.

I won't forget this book. Ever.

Thank you to Vintage, Random House and Netgalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is brilliant!

Funny and charming and full of heart.

Fascinating to read about psychiatry and mental health in the NHS but also interesting to ‘meet’ Benji and become absorbed in his world.

I laughed. I cried. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in psychiatry and humans!

Honest review for advance Net Gallery copy.

A brilliant insight into the world of psychiatry by the author Dr Waterhouse who likes to be known as Benji or Benjamin (not Ben please!).
It was heartwarming yet at times harrowing but also very funny in parts.
Benji talks of his own childhood difficulties, current therapy and personal life as well as some of the patients stories. It tells of a sadly very broken system and how more often than not, mental health is just not priority. What showed throughout was Benjis passion to help his patients, he was warm, honest & humorous.
I really enjoyed his writing, the chapters were nice & short & I wanted to pick it up any chance I got which is always a good sign - highly recommend!
Thank you to netgalley for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

I have read many accounts from psychiatrists in the past, like Dr Waterhouse I know both sides of the appointment, but I have never read another account which was quite so beautiful.

At no point in this book is mental illness played for laughs without context. Severe mental illness has its funny side, there’s no doctor, patient or carer that would disagree, but context is the difference.

Sensitive, deeply funny and important. I would suggest reading this book would do more good for everyone than taking part in a silly challenge for world mental health day. This book is informative, and it’s not based in the “prettier” mental health problems, it knows those are focused on the most and shines light in on the taboo, scary sounding ones.

Waterhouse sees humanity and, no matter how much budget constraints want him to stop, he cares and this takes its own toll on him.

I shouldn’t think I will read a more important book this year.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

You Don't Have to Be Mad to Work Here by Benji Waterhouse could be described as the mental health version of This is Going to Hurt and if there’s any justice, it should be equally popular. Benjamin Waterhouse relates his time working in the NHS psychiatry specialism, from his first days as a trainee through to being a consultant. He describes it as “A fly on the padded wall account of my decade working in medicine’s most mysterious and controversial specialty.” It is both informative and entertaining, giving a privileged insight into the dark arts of treating patients’ with poor mental health. At the same time it’s a jolly good laugh. It’s a prime example of tragedy and comedy being two sides of the same coin.

For Waterhouse, each year’s training placement sees him addressing a variety of problems and helping various patients to the best of his ability. There are hurdles to overcome. It isn’t a given that patients will comply with their doctor’s attempts to heal them. He also has to work within the constraints of the NHS budget and rules, which is where a lot of frustration arises. Waterhouse’s accounts swing from being deeply distressing to darkly humorous; a strategy he admits doctors often resort to in order to engage with difficult subjects and keep their own sanity. Often he is dealing with seriously ill patients; those “at less palatable end of the spectrum - the ones for whom cold water swimming and mindful colouring in probably won’t cut it.” There is a fair sprinkling of fascinating facts about the history of psychiatry, starting with a helpful guide to the distinction between the ‘Ps’: psychiatry, psychoanalysis, psychology and being psychic. Waterhouse also writes about his own family and relationships, which aren’t always plain sailing.

I heartily recommend this book: you’ll learn a lot about situations you probably hope never to encounter, and you’ll develop a deep appreciation for those who consider helping others to be their life’s work. (It’s also pretty funny!)

Benji is a psychiatrist for the NHS. Mostly humorous sometimes poignant this is an inside look at the mental health services and the people who work there and service users. It's a really good read and I found myself laughing out loud at times as well as being knocked sideways by some of the more difficult stories. Mental health services are oversubscribed,underfunded and understaffed and this book highlights the struggles that professionals have in that system.Dark humour at its best,thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

This was a fantastic mix of humour, personal family history, patient stories and commentary on the crumbling NHS - Tariqs story pulled at my heartstrings.

OMG I really recommend this book it is so funny and if you have ever suffered from depression, anxiety or personality disorder you will probably laugh the loudest, as you relate to patients and hear it from a Drs view point. My husband read this first and kept annoyingly laughing out loud and me saying what! And then him saying.. I can't tell you just read it, I dare anyone to not laugh out loud.. enjoy the read!

10000% recommend this. I’ve always been interested in mental health and tend to read any sort of book like this but this is so good! I really enjoyed the satire, laughing out loud and smiling at some parts - and I like that it naturally has that balance where it’s showing you a good side and a bad side to mental health and the problems people face. This read is really insightful and is definitely an eye opener

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You Don't Have to Be Mad to Work Here - Benji Waterhouse

I absolutely adored this book, it very much gave me This is going to hurt vibes but from a psychiatry stand point.
The book follows Benji from just qualifiying until he is working within the COVID pandemic. During the years we spend with Benji he is working on crisis ward, in the community, decides he needs a break and gets back to work to help during the pandemic. We hear about his patients, his own therapy and why he decided to go down the psychiatry route.

I felt that the book really showed a sector of health care that lots of people don't really understand unless they have been part of it, its almost the hidden side just as mental health is more hidden. I liked that it went from some really really complex cases to the persons everyday struggle. As Benji said during the book a lot of the time as doctor you don't get to continue to be up to date with your patients lives, which can weigh you down. This very much came across in the book when we learn something about the patients and then never found out if Benji had been able to help them. I did like the one patient who we got to see multiple times, once in a very bad place and then seeing him better at the end.

I highly recommend this book, it was sad but also hilarious in parts. It also really shows the life of psychiatry and what goes on behind the closed doors.

Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This book is an amazing read and has given me a much deeper insight into the kind of professional world I hope to be joining (mental health). The first consultant hinting there must be something wrong to want to work there made me laugh as it’s something we used to joke about in my course. Benji shows us what it's like to go from a new graduate right through to his consultancy training. I appreciated that he didn’t shy away from his own experiences of burnout and mental health suffering as more books like this help to contribute to de-stigmatisation of mental ill health. I’m glad we got to get one or two pieces of some sort of closure but I understand that Benji himself didn’t get to complete the process of any of his patients being moved regularly so it makes sense we don’t always find out if his patients are still struggling or are managing better now. I also liked that this is a more recent book which also managed to tackle the impact of COVID on working in the NHS and specifically people’s mental health at the time. Especially with knowing that many self-report remote studies completed over that period showed an impact on most participants so seeing (even in one little paragraph) the impact on a few of his patients personally helped contextualize it all a little more.

Favourite Quote:
"Earlier in my training I used to worry about my patients affecting me, but but now now I realise the far bigger problem is when compassion-fatigued psychiatrists get to the point that they don't."

Don’t you just want to grab this, switch off the phone and curl up on the sofa
By far one of my favourite books I've read this year… I loved every minute

Thank you NetGalley and Random Penguin House for the chance to read and review this ARC.

A funny, sad yet brutally honest memoir of am NHS training psychiatrist. It was interesting and kept me hooked until the end.

Wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but it is funny, tragic, and uplifting. A fine book, brilliantly written

This book reminded me of those by Adam Kay! It feels wrong to say I enjoyed it because Mental health is not taken seriously enough in this country. Very funny and well written.

I read this book in three days and enjoyed all of it. I went through a lot of emotions when reading the book. The general style of writing and recalling events is humorous, however, the individual stories are quite upsetting and the state of the NHS and mental health services in particular is awful.

It was a very interesting journey through the initial career of a psychiatrist and I would recommend the book to others.

If you love Adam Kay’s books - you’ll love this one more!

Told with the perfect mix of compassion, honesty and humour, it’s a genuine insight into the state of the UK’s NHS mental health system. I echo the author’s disillusionment with a psychiatry system that proposes to support and improve mental health difficulties but the reality is far from this due to lack of appropriate (& unbiased) funding!

He touches on the implicit realities of fabricated research designed to improve the profits of pharmaceutical companies, whilst a failing system cannot provide the “root-cause” care that patients so desperately need.

An excellent read and one I’ll recommend to my colleagues in the MH sector!

NHS psychiatrist Dr Benji Waterhouse provides a deep insight into one of medicines misunderstood departments, the psychiatric ward – and it’s one of the best memoirs I have read in a while.B e prepared to laugh out loud and also cry – it’s an emotional rollercoaster!

Benji writes about his experiences as a placement student Dr in various psychiatric wards and shares sad, honest, raw and very funny stories of his patients but also provides insight into his sometimes dysfunctional family and family history and his experiences with his own mental health and personal therapy.

This book really highlighted how difficult NHS psychiatric wards are to work in, understaffed, overworked, no beds for critical patients and being taught to be very clinical with patients who may just need understanding and compassion, I can see why Benji was at times very stressed, questioning his abilities and the seemingly backwards systems.

I felt this memoir was written with such honesty, compassion, warmth and humility which also represents how Benji was with all his patients. The book focuses on the complexities of very difficult mental health in an unfortunately broken system. It also shows how this part of medicine needs support, understanding, care, funding and to be honest more Drs like Benji.

I think this is a really important book to read, it’s given me a deep appreciation for everyone who supports and helps others mental health with compassion and humanity.

What an insight!

Benji Waterhouse is funny, honest and heart-breakingly good with his account of his work.

You will root for him and his patients, not forgetting the fabulous Esther!

A tough read at times but uplifting.

Witty medical biographies are one of my favourite genres, and this absolutely did not disappoint. Dr Waterhouse compassionately and respectfully documents his training and patients experiences whilst also seeing the humour in life. I'm aware of comparisons with Adam Kay, but I think this book stands out by far. I thoroughly enjoyeded it, and will be recommending it to anyone that will listen

What a fantastic book, really well written - laugh out loud funny, underlined with sadness but really well thought through.

There isn't anything funny about mental health and Benji doesn't make light of it at all. This reminds me of Blood Sweat and Tea, another excellent read.

I'll definitely be recommending this one!

Psychiatrist and stand-up comedian Benji Waterhouse relates his experience as a junior doctor - together with his dysfunctional family life.

I work on an acute mental health ward (and love it). I found Benji's account very true to life - if hammed up a touch - and laugh out loud funny, human tragedy aside. Maybe I found it a release, but Benji shows a deft touch with difficult subject matter.

Strongly recommended.

Read in a couple of sittings. Bleak but hopeful! A very honest and frank account of a crushingly depleted NHS told with dark humour and wit. The healing journey of the writer was wholesome to read about and I was fully invested in his relationship with Esther. The best non-fiction book I’ve read in a while!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

loved this book. There is just the right balance of seriousness, humour and thought provoking content.
It is written in a really accessible way. I like the way the book is laid out and things are explained.

People in the UK are now used to the fact that our beloved NHS is in meltdown, but we sometimes lose sight of the fact that it’s the people who work within it who keep it functioning at all. This book opens the reader’s eyes to the devotion of those working in NHS psychiatry and the personal cost of what they deal with every day of their working lives. Yes, it’s very funny in parts , albeit at the expense of those with psychiatric illnesses, but it is also the deeply personal story of a young doctor from the start of his career and the toll that the work can take. The book is well written, edited to flow seamlessly and with footnotes to explain the more (and less) esoteric terms and history or the specialism. In the end though, this is a book about triumph in the face of adversity, for patients, doctors, NHS workers, and therefore for all of us, to know that the safety net of the NHS is still there, even if it is full of holes at present.

This book provides a candid, enlightening, and often humorous glimpse into the complex world of psychiatry by chronicling the author's experiences as an NHS psychiatrist, and thusly providing a nuanced exploration of the challenges faced by both patients and practitioners in the field. The narrative shares anecdotal stories of various patients, each dealing with their unique struggles, and by doing so this book creates a mosaic that reflects the intricacies of mental health care.

The harsh realities of working within a system plagued by resource shortages is a topic that many in the medical field might be hesitant to discuss openly. However, Dr. Waterhouse deserves credit for discussing the challenges posed by the NHS's lack of resources, including time, money, staff, and beds, and how these limitations impact patient care. The personal touch provided by glimpses into the author's own life, family, and mental health struggles, adds depth to the storytelling.

Overall this is a captivating read that combines humour, empathy, and stark realities, offering a unique perspective on psychiatry and the challenges within the NHS. Highly recommended for those seeking a deeper understanding of the human side of psychiatry and the need for systemic change throughout the NHS irregardless of healthcare speciality.

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This is unlike any memoir that I've ever read, tackling the deep issued within the NHS; lack of funding, lack of steady and reliable employees, the burnout of the remaining workers.

It focuses specifically on psychiatry, and wider mental health in the context of both the patients and the writer himself. I loved the way he writes about his patients, with compassion and understanding but not stigmatising them or their conditions. I also love the little moments of witty humour. When one tickled me, I had to read it out loud for my family's enjoyment.

This was a funny yet thought provoking read that shows what life is like on both sides of the table - the doctors and the patients. Yet it also highlights something that I think is incredibly important - doctors aren’t immune to struggles and are quite often patients themselves. It’s written as a ‘fly on the wall’ type thing which is honestly one of my favourite perspectives in books like this!

A bitter-sweet memoir written by a young doctor specializing in psychiatry. It´s hilarious, it´s sad, it´s horrifying, it´d depressing. All at once.
The author tells us what it´s like to work in an underfinanced and understaffed system (that´s an euphemism big time!), a system that should care about the most vulnerable members of our society, yet it mostly struggles to somehow manage the situation. The system is on the brink of collapsing, and it looks like nobody cares.
A few facts:
* "(...) mental illness accounts for 28% of the nations overall disease burden, it receives just 12% of NHS funding." Oh well, this should come as a big shock, but somehow we know that already.
* "(...) the number of psychiatric beds in England has fallen from 67.000 in 1988 to just 18.000 in 2019." Now this is something that deserves a big WTF moment.
* "Sometimes patients are sent up to 300 miles away to the closest hospital bed. In 2019 psychiatric patients travelled the equivalent of twenty-two times around the world for out-of-area beds - can you imagine us making someone on crutches do that?" - yes, I can.
* ECT, known as shock therapy, where they run some electricity through your brain is still on. Nope, this isn't a joke. On a private note - while I was at university ages ago, we were told that frying brain is a thing of the past, which was a great relief. Twenty years later I met someone recently then released from a mental institution in Ireland who claimed that she had received the ECT therapy. I wanted to call her a liar. Now this. Once again it looks to me like Eastern Europe is far more advanced and more civilized than Western Europe. And the funny thing is that there is no proof at all that the shock therapy works!
* 6.000 tonnes of untouched food ends up in a bin every year, and this is just in hospitals!

The reality is that NHS is somehow a toxic corporation to work in. They aim to help people, but they rarely do. Despite some amazing people working there, despite the efforts of many it's not working. As Benji said the "work was making me ill" and yet he mustn´t have said to his superiors openly what and why, because he would have gotten a black stain on his record. Honesty is NOT appreciated at all. So if you tell the truth about working more hours than the European Working Time Directive allows, they will sack you. No wonder they haven´t got staff.

I´m sorry if I made you feel like this book is depressing, grim and boring. It´s NOT. I found it hilarious. Not to spoil the funny parts for you, let me just tell you that in the Acknowledgments the author thanks... "the makers of Jaffa Cakes and Yorkshire Tea for keeping me nourished and focused during the writing process." How sweet. I have never ever read thanks to tea and cookies. I love it, do you?

I ADORED this book. It’s honest, heartbreaking, heartwarming and hilarious all in equal measure.

This is written by Benji, a psychiatrist, and details his career journey through medical school and the understaffed, underfunded and overworked NHS and I salute him and his colleagues for all they do.

It’s mostly a thankless task, as the author and his colleagues attempt to support people’s mental health whilst battling with the human challenge of not knowing if what they do makes a positive difference, thwarted by nonsensical procedures and overloaded to an incredible extent.

Within all of this though, there is humanity, caring, understanding and humour and I’m so grateful that Benji told his story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK Vintage for the opportunity to preview this amazing read and I wish the author every success.

This was a brilliant book and I loved it. From the start with such rapacious humour it really got me interested and I could not wait to return to reading it.
The insight into the world of psychiatry was totally fascinating, it is not a field that non medics know about and it was interesting, yet horrific to see how the mind of people can destroy them.
The care that this doctor shows in these stories is amazing. You can understand how someone gets into this field as they feel they can help. Thank goodness they do.
A wonderful insightful book

"Maybe the logic is that if you’re going to end up on a psych ward one way or another, you may as well get paid for it."...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Akin to Adam Kays "This is going to hurt", Benji Waterhouse recounts his experiences working as an NHS Phsychiatrist, taking us through memorable cases of his career and giving an interesting account into the difficulties within the NHS with regards to mental health support in terms of understaffing and lacking resources.

The style of writing is quite "gallows humour", which I particularly enjoy but may not be for everyone.
After all, "Humour is widely acknowledged as the ‘best medicine’. Although for chlamydia, penicillin is still medically preferable to a knock-knock joke."..

I feel the level of humour is just right in this book, making it light hearted enough despite discussing some quite dark and troublesome areas, whilst still remaining caring and professional, and giving the reader empathy for both the health care workers in this profession, as well as the patients whose cases are discussed throughout.

Very interesting read. Some medical knowledge and terminology throughout (understandably), though not overwhelming and described well. Couldn't put down - read the whole thing in a day!

Thankyou to netgalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book.

Wow the book that really make you think. Is that me, who do I know that this helps.?

A moving tale of a young intern studying to do what he has always wanted to do . Question is can he pull it off?

The mixture of tales from patients really brings it home to you., also his own internal struggle. Well written and the contents flow really smoothly in this book.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

A really good read. In the same vein (excuse the medical reference) as Adam Kay’s ‘This is Going to Hurt’ and Dr Nick Edwards’s ‘In Stitches’ but this time set in mental health. The running theme through it all is the very sad fact that the NHS is chronically underfunded and this puts pressure on staff, and reduces the quality of treatments to the patients.
“Statistically one in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point, and while mental illness accounts for 28% of the nation’s overall disease burden, it receives just 13% of NHS funding”
As with many medical professionals (I have a paramedic, nurse, and operating theatre practitioner in my immediate family so I think I can claim this), it is tackled with a dark humour and I found myself laughing at points, but also sensitively you were never laughing AT people or stigmatising mental illness further. It is also tragically sad, I’ve always felt a sadness around mental illness that the brain is acting against you and making you believe things that aren’t true, from the more minor imposter syndrome up to full on delusions – I feel the same about dreams and hate people telling me about them, LOL.
From the sounds of things in the acknowledgements Benji Waterhouse has been meeting with TV execs, and I will look forward to seeing it if it is televised.
If you like the above mentioned books, then I think you will love this one too.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read ‘You Don’t Have to be Mad to Work Here’ in exchange for an honest review.