Impspired Title

MY ASYLUM DAYS: HOW MENTAL HEALTH POLICY HAS CHANGED

by DR PETER CARTER

Peter Carter is the Laurie Lee of psychiatric nursing. Like Laurie, he comes from the West Country, and also has the same vivid memory that allows him to recall the past in intimate detail. Life in mental hospitals in the recent past has been exposed in many personal memoirs from patients, but this book gives a panoptic view of the complacency, the brutality, the stupidity and the small-mindedness of a system that had not properly realised it was destined for the dust heap. Peter describes this beautifully and evocatively with a striking blend of understanding, pathos and humour that makes it a joy to read. He also incorporates instructive advice for the future that should jolt managers and ministers out of any illusions that their plans for services are in any way constructive, relevant or adequate. Peter Tyrer, Emeritus Professor of Community Psychiatry, Imperial College, London