The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry

Book 42 of 2017 is The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson.

Having always said that medicine is not much of a science, the corollary for me has always been that psychiatry is random classification to justify shitty behaviour.

Don't get me wrong, I recommend CBT to everyone.

My problem with amateur psychology is that there is a push for people to belong and be normal. Having a label to associate yourself with makes whatever you are going through normal.

Normal is something I abhor. It is a control word. It is the essence of conformity. It is the way to strip someone of their individuality and say that's all ok.

People do need awareness. They need care. They need to know how to avoid bad influences.

This book made me challenge my normal idea that classification is the answer.

Read it. He is a story teller who makes non-fiction less of an effort to endure.

4 disorders out of 5.

Should I read this? If you are an amateur psychologist like me then yeah.
What did I learn? I need to challenge what I know more but not like a conspiracy theorist.

Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol

Book 36 of 2015 is Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol by Ann Dowsett Johnston.

My good friend Bruce and his wife read this book last year and he shared this with all the women who he knew who drink.

This book is the current book of the moment around female drinking. It talks of the difference between alcoholism, regular drinking and binge drinking and how that impacts on the life of different women.

One thing it has achieved is to make me realise that drinking is the new smoking.

I don't want to be a smoker and I don't want to be a drinker.

5 sparkling mineral waters with lime out of 5.


Should I read this? Read this book if you drink or know someone that does. That makes pretty much everyone an audience for this view altering book.

What did I learn? That for all my failings, I am not an alcoholic but I do want to remove vices from my life that will shorten it and may have negative effects.