The Tales

1. Primum Non Nocere. (Schizophrenia.) Is it ever wrong to successfully treat someone’s delusions?

2. On the Therapeutic Power of a Poem. (Suicide attempt.) John Donne’s classic poem unexpectedly resolves an impasse between doctor and patient.

3. Labels. (Borderline Personality Disorder.) Borderline Personality Disorder – useful diagnosis or stigmatizing label?

4. Winner. (Opiate Use Disorder.) Trainee psychiatrist meets opiate user for the first time – with significant outcomes for both.

5. Homage to Oliver Sacks. (Bipolar Disorder/Tourette’s.) Dr Sacks’ classic tale of Witty Ticcy Ray finds an echo in bipolar disorder.

6. Three Ozzy Osbournes. (Schizophrenia/Substance-Induced Psychosis.) The king of heavy metal proves to be too much for cognitive therapy.

7. In the Gulag. (Bipolar Disorder.)The misuse of psychiatry in Soviet Russia still finds small echoes in everyday mental health care in the west.

8. Starting Out. (Postpartum psychosis.) A trainee psychiatrist is awed as a simple medication changes near-catastrophe into full recovery.

9. It’s not the patient that hit you… (Violence in psychiatry/bipolar disorder.) Violence within psychiatry may be exaggerated in the public eye, yet is a real issue for staff, bystanders, and patients themselves.

10. Sisyphus Happy. (Panic disorder.) A wealthy man’s recovery from panic disorder invokes Freudian theories and the philosophy of Albert Camus. Though not everyone agrees about that.

11. Buy Now, Pay Later. (Bipolar I.) There are no lectures in medical school about how to call car dealerships to negotiate on your patient’s behalf.

12. On the Varied Uses of a Psychiatry Ward. (Schizophrenia.) External threats allow a brief, but happy, truce in the ongoing battles between management and healthcare staff.

A new tale will be posted every two weeks.