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Finding Sanity

John Cade, Lithium and the Taming of Bipolar
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Finding Sanity by Greg de Moore is a riveting journey through the history of psychiatric treatment, focusing on the groundbreaking work of one pioneering individual. It explores the evolution of mental health care and the struggles faced by patients and practitioners alike in understanding and treating mental illness. This book offers an insightful look into a shift in perspective that shaped modern psychiatry.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by the human mind and the history of mental health treatments. This compelling account delves into the development of significant psychiatric and neurological breakthroughs, offering insights into the individuals behind pioneering discoveries. Perfect for anyone drawn to the intersection of science, medicine, and human stories.

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The first biography of the ground breaking Australian doctor who discovered the first pharmacological treatment for mental illness.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

For most of human history, mental illness has been largely untreatable. Sufferers lived their lives—if they survived—in and out of asylums, accumulating life's wreckage around them.

In 1948, all that changed when an Australian doctor and recently returned prisoner of war, working alone in a disused kitchen, set about an experimental treatment for one of the scourges of mankind—manic depression, or bipolar disorder. That doctor was John Cade and in that small kitchen he stirred up a miracle.

John Cade discovered a treatment that has become the gold standard for bipolar disorder—lithium. It has stopped more people from committing suicide than a thousand help lines.

Lithium is the penicillin story of mental health—the first effective medication discovered for the treatment of a mental illness—and it is, without doubt, Australia's greatest mental health story.

Finding Sanity by Greg de Moore explores this miracle story, shining a light on the significant impact of John Cade's groundbreaking work and its lasting legacy.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Finding Sanity by Greg de Moore is praised for its strong and thorough biographical writing. It effectively weaves together multiple perspectives, offering a fascinating and humorous narrative.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781760113704

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 24 August 2016

Country: Australia

Imprint: Allen & Unwin

Illustration: 8pp b&w photos

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 24.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 465g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Greg de Moore is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry based at Sydney's Westmead Hospital. Born in Melbourne of parents who migrated to Australia from Sri Lanka, Greg has lived in Sydney for over 20 years. Outside of the hospital he has combined his medical interests with Australian history to write and co-write two previous books - Tom Wills and A National Game. The biography of Tom Wills was based on ten years of research unearthing original medical records, letters, text books and notes previously believed to have been lost or destroyed. This book won numerous awards and was short-listed for the National Biography Award. Greg has also written on the need to preserve psychiatric records as a precious storehouse of clinical and social history.

Ann Westmore is an Honorary Fellow in the Health Humanities and Social Science Unit, School of Population and Global Health, the University of Melbourne. She came to the history of medicine and science through a degree in science and a previous career as a medical writer for a mass circulation newspaper. After completing a Master of Science in the history and philosophy of science, Ann completed a PhD titled 'Mind, Mania and Science: Psychiatry and the Culture of Experiment in Mid-Twentieth Century Victoria'. Her thesis gave rise to work with Museum Victoria and the University of Melbourne investigating nineteenth and twentieth century mental health care in Australia.

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