Delightfully entertaining, witty, surprising, horrifying, and harrowing - all part of life in forensic mental health services ' - Professor Kamaldeep Bhui, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford Why do you think there is so much interest in books about mental health? Is it related to the pandemic? For me, psychiatry was a vocation. For others, there is a pragmatism to the decision about which speciality to go into. We need to let people know how incredibly diverse psychiatry services are, from CAMHS to older age services, from psychoanalysis to cutting edge neurosciences. We need to be welcoming, inclusive and caring. We need to look after people in the profession, to stop burnout and focus on retention as much as recruitment.” A beautifully balanced and compassionately written memoir ... This is a fascinating account of a fascinating journey.' - Dr Richard Shepherd, bestselling author of Unnatural Causes

A beautifully balanced and compassionately written memoir… This is a fascinating account of a fascinating journey’– Dr Richard Shepherd Thoughtful, revealing, often haunting and always enlightening, if you liked Unnatural Causes by Dr Richard Shepherd , Do No Harm by Henry Marsh and This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay this book is for you.The author writes with a hefty dose of dark humour, as do many of the other kinds of books of this genre. The main issue I found was that the style, editing, or both, felt disjointed and didn’t flow particularly well. I noticed that at multiple points, I was reading one account then the author would go off on a tangent and describe an all together different time and event. This made it somewhat difficult to follow, especially as I was just getting engrossed in the story at hand. I laughed, I cried, I learned and I finished it feeling a renewed sense of motivation in my career. What more could you ask for from a book? Looking at the cover art, I thought this book would have a much more serious tone than it did. Forensic psychiatry is a mysterious area of medicine at the best of times, so I was intrigued to learn about some real patient stories and how the system works to support them. That being said, I otherwise enjoyed this book and thought it was a powerful depiction of mental health and how and why it fails to flourish. There are lots of references to drug abuse, childhood trauma and addictions that seem to tie many of the offender stories closely together.

Most of all, I had to stop (quite often) and think hard. In fact, I'm still thinking about this book, and it's months since I finished it. I admit to being faintly hostile towards most psychiatrists. That's as a result of personal experience. Several long stories.Dr Ben Cave takes us on a journey to the heart of this highly emotive environment, putting himself under the microscope as well as his patients. In the process, he allows us to share what they have taught each other, and how it has changed them. To share the psychological battle scars that come with a career on the frontline of our health service. To learn about the brilliant mental health nurses for whom physical injury and verbal abuse are a daily hazard. To learn about ourselves, and what we fear most.