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Book Review of The Naked Lady Who Stood on Her Head: A Psychiatrist's Stories of His Most Bizarre Cases

The Naked Lady Who Stood on Her Head: A Psychiatrist's Stories of His Most Bizarre Cases
thunderweasel avatar reviewed on + 147 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


Who knew psychiatry could be so...strange?

Dr. Gary Small relays his most interesting and awkward cases in 'The Naked Lady Who Stood On Her Head', a fantastic analysis of people's emotional intricacies and depths and the ways they're relayed in physical symptoms. Each case - a woman with an unintended overactive sexuality and a guy who feels like his left arm shouldn't be there are just two examples - reads like an episode of televison's 'House', a mysterious illness with a hidden surprise diagnosis just waiting to pop into the good doc's brain at any moment. Small highlights the progression of each case - and his experience and emotional maturity as a psychiatrist - in perfect detail, including snippets from his personal life that show an actual person behind the white coat.

Most helpful, though, is Small's elegant way of wording medical jargon and their definitions well enough for us regular folks to understand completely and for maximum enjoyment of each told case. If classes in the medical field were taught with as much wit and understanding as Small uses, I'd be front row in that room ready to take notes.

A brilliant book with a great message - psychiatrists are people too.