A helpful owner’s manual for those in possession of emotions—and, more to the point, those possessed by them.
A noted mental health professional casts light on “some of the dark avenues of our lives.”
Writing for his fellow psychiatric practitioners, but in language accessible to lay readers, Sederer (The Family Guide to Mental Health Care, 2013, etc.)—chief medical officer of the New York State Office of Mental Health and the medical editor for mental health for the Huffington Post—identifies what he characterizes as four “secrets” that illustrate “opportunities in plain sight” for therapy. One is the thesis that “behavior serves a purpose.” That purpose may not be readily discernible, but, the author writes, a cornerstone of good psychiatric practice is finding the right language to allow the patient room for self-expression: “We have to ask more, in a manner that allows a person to respond, over time, knowing that they will not be judged or harmed when allowing another person access to their private and sometimes previously inaccessible thinking.” The challenges are numerous, but Sederer’s insistence on there being a discoverable reason for mental illness helps ferret out why, for instance, smart young people should fall victim to anorexia nervosa or what logic underlies manic depression. The author writes that mental health is a product of both nature and nurture; we cannot help our genes, and people have only so much control over whether their families are supportive or they are able to earn a decent living. It is in that scenario of environmental control that another of Sederer’s secrets emerges, namely that “chronic stress is the enemy.” The stress response, like all behavior, has a purpose, but acute inflammation and the endless fight or flight of modern life takes its toll. Blending cutting-edge science with therapeutic art (“positive thinking is good protection against stress and beneficial to our health”), the author offers an optimistic view of what we can do to improve our well-being.
A helpful owner’s manual for those in possession of emotions—and, more to the point, those possessed by them.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-61537-082-5
Page Count: 134
Publisher: American Psychiatric Association Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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