The Disordered Mind: What Unusual Brains Tell Us About Ourselves, Eric R. Kandel, Jonathan Ball Publishers, ISBN: 9781472140876
PROFESSOR Eric R Kandel is probably one of the people who best manages to bridge the divide between academic writing and simple explanations of very technical material about neuroscience.
The New York local is both a teaching professor at Columbia University and senior investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Considered one of the leading experts in all things brain related, he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2000.
His writings, which include textbooks, to autobiographical writing about his own experiences in psychiatry.
Although he does tend to err on the side of determinism, this is probably due to him remaining firmly in the camp of the materialists. Only time and further developments in the science he is currently an expert in will shed light on whether his stance is the right one. For now, his work offers insights to both the layperson and the expert.
The Disordered Mind: What Unusual Brains Tell Us About Ourselves, published this year, is an almost perfect reference book for anyone wanting to get up to speed in brain science.
It benefits from the inclusion of case studies, which makes it far more accessible to even those who are not academics, than many textbooks, without dumbing down the topic to the point where it is insulting to those who are well versed in the readings and theory he cites.
ALSO READ: Fabulous reads – YA novel sheds light on child exploitation
The chapters follow a logical structure with the first giving historical information as well as explanations of how modern approaches to the brain have changed over time.
Kandel also peppers his writing with questions which promote thought in the reader and add to a better understanding of the text rather than just offering ‘facts’ to be learned.
Far from suggesting he has all the answers, he offers insight into what still needs to be understood and how much more there is to learn.
As he goes through various conditions in different chapters, Kanel not only offers the historical and scientific background of the understanding of the conditions but offers the reader ways to interrogate the knowledge they have by offering direction towards how the knowledge has affected change in people’s thinking about these conditions.
As a person with a mental illness myself I found his approach refreshing and gentle. The Disordered Mind helped me see that my mind, even when at its worst is still a beautiful creation with strengths I can draw on to help myself cope with “normal” life better.
I’d recommend it to anyone who is genuinely interested in learning more about how mental illness can touch lives, whether due to their own struggle with it, or due to wanting a better understanding of the lived experiences of those close to them.
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Highway Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts.
