Voluntary Madness

September 29, 2008
Vincent's first trip to a mental institution—to which the writing of Self-Made Man
drove her—convinced her that further immersion would give her great material for a follow-up. The grand tour consists of voluntary commitments to a hospital mental ward, a small private facility and a boutique facility; but Vincent's efforts to make a big statement about the state of mental health treatment quickly give way to a more personal journey. An attempt to wean herself off Prozac, for example, adds a greater sense of urgency to her second research trip, while the therapists overseeing her final treatment lead her to a major emotional breakthrough. Meanwhile, her fellow patients are easily able to peg her as an “emotional parasite,” though this rarely stops them from interacting with her—and though their neediness sometimes frustrates her, she is less judgmental of them than of the doctors and nurses. The conclusions Vincent draws from her experiences tend toward the obvious (the better the facilities, the better chance for recovery) and the banal: “No one can heal you except you.” Though keenly observed, her account never fully transcends its central gimmick.

March 30, 2009
In narrating Vincent's infiltration (and exposé) of three mental health institutions, Tavia Gilbert, the very versatile performer of both children's and adult audios, strikes all the right notes. She neutrally notes the author's observations of the various environs and delivers an outraged denunciation of the subhuman living conditions and sympathy for the hapless inmates, who, unlike Vincent, rarely if ever escape the system. Gilbert's tone is firm and brisk; a perfect vessel for the depressing litany of indignities to which the mentally ill are subjected. The skillful narration will help even the queasy wend their way to the end of this important work. A Viking hardcover (Reviews, Sept. 29).

January 22, 2009
Verdict: In this readable-if meandering-expose, Vincent checks herself into three different mental health facilities to compare conditions. Recommended for specialized mental health-care collections. Background: Since deinstitutionalization swept the mental health landscape decades ago, there has been little examination of the downsized facilities. Vincent (Self-Made Man: One Woman's Year Disguised as a Man), who has struggled with mental illness, commits herself to a big city mental health hospital, a private Midwestern clinic, and an alternative treatment center in an exercise in "immersion journalism." While readers might question the author's need for institutionalization and how her various stays were funded, Vincent's discussions of daily life, treatment approaches, observations of patients and staff, and commentary on the overreliance of medication and the nature of mental illness itself are fresh and valuable.-Antoinette Brinkman, M.L.S., Evansville, IN

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2008
Struggling with the psycho-emotional conflicts of being a woman living as a man for her last book, Self-Made Man (2006), Vincent checked herself intothe psychiatric ward of a hospital. While there, she found inspiration for her next immersion-journalism experience. But this experience went way beyond observation as Vincent actually wondered about the state of her mental health. For a woman with a history of depression, what began as an investigation into psychiatric practices and questionable diagnoses, within the broader context of modern American culture, morphed into a personal exploration of mental stability. In this sometimes harrowing and sometimes humorous account, Vincent recalls her stay at three mental-health facilities: the ward of a big-city public hospital, a rural private psychiatric hospital, and an alternative-treatment program. Vincent chronicles not just the social and economic differences in illnesses and treatments at the facilities but also the madness of bureaucracies that overmedicate and dont listen enough to what patients have to say. A riveting and enlightening look at mental-health treatment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)