In a first for me, I'm going to attempt to tell you about two recent reads in one blog post; 'You Don't Have to Be Mad to Work Here' by Dr Benji Waterhouse and 'And How Does that Make You Feel?' by Joshua Fletcher. Wish me luck...
Psychiatrist vs Psychotherapist
While these are both books by mental health practitioners, the roles, patients and treatments they represent are quite different. In 'You Don't Have to Be Mad to Work Here', Dr Benji Waterhouse describes his early career as an NHS psychiatrist (a medical doctor who has trained in mental health care), treating people suffering from serious conditions such as schizophrenia and psychosis. Under-resourced and over worked, Dr Waterhouse attempts to assess and treat extremely ill but often wilful and sometimes violent patients while navigating eccentric bureaucracy, difficult colleagues and challenging personal relationships.
While many of Waterhouse's patients try to avoid treatment at all costs, Joshua Fletcher's come to him seeking help through therapy, though they may not know what's wrong. 'And How Does that Make You Feel?' is structured around four anonymised patient stories, each related to a different condition (including anxiety, OCD and depression). Clients' progress is followed through the book and intertwined with the story of Fletcher's own personal story. Both books offer a a view from each side of the desk.
Funny
Of the two, I found I struggled more with 'You Don't Have to Be Mad to Work Here'. It was billed as a humorous insight into a psychiatrist's life, but, though it starts amusingly enough, it quite quickly becomes deeply depressing. The NHS and mental health care are shown as desperately underfunded, understaffed and under-appreciated, and I found myself crying rather than laughing. I kept reading in the hope there would be something positive, but... Dr Waterhouse ended up working during Covid. I finished the book with a greater appreciation, understanding and respect for this branch of medicine, but also shocked at what Waterhouse had experienced and despairing of the state of the NHS.
Talking Therapy
'And How does that Make You Feel?' is a more consistent and better-written book which dispelled rather than reinforced myths more successfully. It's funny in the way that life is funny, but also informative, heartfelt and hopeful. It felt like a book on a mission to help others understand a range of common mental health difficulties and how treatments like talking therapies work, hopefully making the process less mysterious and intimidating to those who may be considering seeking treatment. It's well-structured and consistent and, thanks to the disclaimer about ensuring patient anonymity, manages to let you in to the privacy of therapy without making you feel awkward. Fletcher's own story is also beautifully judged, fitting perfectly into a book which encourages compassion above all else.
Overall
Joshua Fletcher is a brilliant writer and I would love to read more by him. Of these two books, 'And How does that Make You Feel?' is the one I would recommend. However, I'm also conscious that he has the more palatable (and probably more familiar) mental health conditions to cover. While society has gotten better at talking about anxiety, for example, how many of us would feel as comfortable if a friend or colleague disclosed that they had schizophrenia? The well-established stereotypes connecting severe mental health conditions with danger and violent crime still dominate. The taboos still reign.
'You Don't Have to be Mad to Work Here' is better suited to the stouter of heart. While Fletcher left me asking 'how can we fix ourselves?', Waterhouse inspired 'how do we fix this mess?'. Perhaps that will be the topic of his next book.
Now, what next...?
'You Don't Have to be Mad to Work Here: A Psychiatrist's Life' by Dr Benji Waterhouse was Vintage, part of Penguin Random House. This post is based on the paperback edition released in 2025. 'And How does that Make you Feel? Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Therapy' by Joshua Fletcher was published by Orion Spring, an imprint of Hachette. I read the paperback from 2025.
