Hi everyone,
Given Substack’s recent integration of audio, I am going to experiment with some podcast-style offerings and see how you all take to it. Expect off-the-cuff thoughts, insights into my day-to-day happiness strategies, the latest thing to tick me off in the world of mainstream mental health, and Q&As.
The more you interact in the comments, the better I can tailor the information to help you. Today, we’re starting with the book recently published by Simon & Shuster called Devout: A Memoir of Doubt. I have, unfortunately, lost the main plot of the book because I am instead distracted by the most blatant examples of bad psychiatry, bad science, and therefore bad outcomes that I have seen in recent memory. The fact that it was published by Simon & Shuster in 2024 is a testament to how enmeshed the average person is with the disease model of mental illness.
It is unlike me to publicly talk about books I don’t think are very good, mostly because writing is subjective and I want to support authors in this hell of an industry. However, in this case, the work is likely to hurt more people and/or keep them sick. This book is a case study worth examining, so let’s examine it.
Before you listen to the episode, I have one ask. This newsletter is one of my jobs, and I put a lot of work into it. I believe in an ethos of paying people for their work (especially in recovery spaces, where work is undervalued and, therefore, resources are limited). If you love this newsletter, get value from it, and believe in paying people for their work, please consider a paid subscription. It helps ensure I can keep doing the work, instead of having to get a job at Starbucks.
Now let’s give this new venture a shot!
-Brooke
122. The Bad Psychiatry of Devout: A Memoir of Doubt