Much Madness, Divinest Sense:
Women’s Stories of Mental Health and Health Care
Edited by
Nili Kaplan-Myrth, MD, CCFP, PhD (Ottawa) and Lori Hanson, MSc, PhD. (Saskatoon)
Pottersfield Press, Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia, Canada (2017)

Jayne Melville Whyte’s biographical account, “Life After Suicide” contrasts her experience under the medical model and the healing work with a skilled and eclectic therapist.

The 23 authors in this book share personal stories, professional reflections, and a women’s perspective on mental health.   The editors’ introduction puts the stories into a historical, social and feminist context.

FROM BACK OF BOOK:

Although there have been countless cases of women’s madness throughout history, almost no personal accounts have been formally documented.  Was there no one to listen to these women, to write down their thoughts?  Is it an arbitrary oversight?   Or perhaps these were intentional omissions, decided upon by historians, medical practitioners, and others with specific political agendas?  For too long, women’s mental health issues have been hidden from view, their stories unheard, their voices silenced.  This volume hopes to shed some light on the dark halls and windowless rooms where women’s mental health has been hidden from view.