I often find medical non-fiction interesting and really enjoy reading true stories of medical anomalies or stories where patients overcame medical struggles. In BEDLAM'S DOOR, stories of mental illness are told through the eyes of a psychiatrist. Rubinstein shares patients he met while working in a hospital, often meeting the patient as they arrive in the ER via their own admission, through the police, or admitted by concerned family members.

In these true stories, patients are dealing with a myriad of mental psychosis including depression, OCD, and PTSD to name a few. Many of them were living their every day life until something happened to change that chemical balance in their lives. Whether it was a traumatic event, unforeseen stressor, or long buried illness, these patients hit a breaking point and were unable to continue to manage their symptoms on their own.

Even though Rubinstein only sees them at the beginning stages of their admission, he is able to give an update through checking in with co-workers and following the case at least until discharge in most cases. The stories are short, with each chapter featuring a new patient. He offers a bit of background and a review of their initial conversation upon admission. These case studies give readers an understanding of how out of control the disease of mental illness can be and how scary it can be for both the patient and for their family.

I can see those who may know someone suffering from mental illness would find these stories comforting and yet fascinating. In nearly all of these cases, the inpatient and outpatient treatment helped them move forward in their lives and get past the issues that brought the mental illness to the surface. ( )

I found the stories in this book to be fascinating and at the same time very enlightening. I have read many books where the author has been an expert on the subject matter that they were writing about. This is where I can encounter a problem as the author can sometimes come off as showoffish by using big words and long winded explanations that are way over my head. This causes my reading experiences to be difficult. Yet, this was not the case with this book. Dr. Rubinstein had a nice way of explaining the cases in a way that I was able to understand and even learn from.

I have always said that I could not be a psychologist because I did not really have the patience for people. After reading this book I do applaud Dr. Rubinstein and others like him that do have that patience and compassion for the people in need like the ones in this book. Although, these people are not always special cases but more common then me or anyone else is really aware of. Therefore, the reason that I do support the need for better access and treatment for mental illnesses. With each case, Dr. Rubinstein would at the end of each one give an afterword that would include an update on the patient as well as explain the cause and even how someone like me could look for signs to help someone early on get the treatment they needed. This book is one that people can learn from. ( )