Product Description

How often do we hear ourselves say "I can't cope", "I'm going mad", "I'm losing my mind"? Despite all the advice on offer to us, how often do we struggle to maintain a healthy mental attitude in the face of seemingly endless pressure? Now, in "Staying Sane" psychiatrist and broadcaster, Dr Raj Persaud, cuts through the myths and taboos surrounding the subject of mental health to offer proven strategies and advice for achieving and maintaining a balanced, positive attitude, regardless of the stresses and strains of daily life. As he confronts crucial issues - such as the meaning of happiness and the importance of emotional intelligence - he aims to strengthen both your mind and your relationships, and reduce your vulnerability to debilitating conditions such as depression. Passionately argued, and supported by a wide range of case histories, questionnaires and scientific research, this is a useful, 21st century survival handbook.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55889 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 609 pages

From the Publisher
‘A radical new approach to keeping ourselves mentally healthy’ Independent

From the Back Cover
'A radical new approach to keeping ourselves mentally healthy' Independent

How often do we hear ourselves say 'I can't cope', 'I'm going mad', 'I'm losing my mind'? Despite all the advice on offer to us today, how often do we struggle to maintain a healthy mental attitude in the face of seemingly endless pressure?

Now, in Staying Sane the eminent psychiatrist and broadcaster, Dr Raj Persaud, cuts through the myths and taboos surrounding the subject of mental health to offer proven strategies and advice for achieving and maintaining a balanced, positive attitude, regardless of the stresses and strains of daily life. As he confronts crucial issues - such as the meaning of happiness and the importance of emotional intelligence - he aims to strengthen both your mind and your relationships, and reduce your vulnerability to debilitating conditions such as depression.

Passionately argued, and supported by a wide range of fascinating case histories, questionnaires and the very latest scientific research, this is an invaluable, twenty-first century survival handbook - and the ultimate self-help guide to staying sane.

'He is the most eminent psychiatrist of the age...he is the guru of common sense' Spectator

About the Author
Raj Persaud is a consultant psychiatrist working in the British National Health Service at the world-famous Maudsley Hospital in south London, and an honorary senior lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. Uniquely for a doctor, he also holds a first-class honours degree in psychology from University College London, which recently awarded him the title of Fellow in recognition of his ground-breaking work in psychiatry. Other medical awards and honours include the prestigious Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Research Prize and Medal, the Denis Hill Prize and the Osler Medal. As well as medicine, psychology and psychiatry, he holds university-level qualifications in statistics, history and philosophy.
Raj Persaud is the author of Staying Sane, The Motivated Mind and From the Edge of the Couch and his work has been published in academic medical journals, including the British Medical Journal, the Lancet and the British Journal of Psychiatry. He writes regularly for the national press and hosts BBC Radio 4’s All in the Mind – the only broadcast series dedicated specifically to reporting on academic psychology and psychiatry. He also appears regularly on television programmes such as Question Time, Newsnight and Tomorrow’s World. In a recent poll of members of the Royal College of Psychiatrists published in the Independent on Sunday newspaper, he was voted one of the top ten psychiatrists in the UK.
He is married to an eye surgeon, has a son and a daughter, and lives in London.

Customer Reviews

A useful and interesting read
If you're used to the typical self-help guide layout - large chunk of book saying how wonderful book is followed by chapters where your hand is held through a rather dictatorial programme - you'll find Persaud's approach rather different.

Give yourself at least a week to read the whole book - it's not a dip-in, dip-out guide. If you put in the effort, you'll find you're rewarded with a real insight into what contributes towards a healthy or unhealthy mind, and you'll have the tools to be able to help yourself through all kinds of predicaments.

Persaud refers to a wide range of studies into mental health issues, but doesn't treat the lay-reader as an idiot or litter the book with jargon, keeping the text intelligent and accessible. Top tip: make a few notes and take page references when you read anything particularly pertinent as the layout of the book doesn't lend itself to you being able to track down that paragraph quickly again.

Overall: fascinating, full of surprises, and if you persevere through the 600-odd pages, you'll probably feel much better-equipped to deal with life's inevitable ups and downs.

Staying Sane - The Game Plan that works
In Staying Sane, Raj Persaud uses no nonense, easy to understand language for lay people regarding practical advice and proven methods to help people who are negative, stressed, depressed and with or without mental health issues. This book is fantastic from cover to cover.

As a self help book it will certainly enable people to develop certain techniques to help themselves.

As a Psychiatrist and Psychologist he is certainly 'in the know' regarding nay issues to do with mental health.

I recommend this book to anyone who finds life difficult at times and needs to gain control over negative thoughts and emotions, or people with mental health issues, and also a great chapter on how to help people with such problems.

Craig

A very positive guide
Dr. Raj shows the postive power of the mind in this book, a lesson we can all take advantage of to enhance our daily life. He shows we are all alot stronger and more capable than we think.

In this current climate , its seems fashionable to encourage people to feel fragile or unable to cope, which then can become reality.

Anytime I feel in need of a shot of common sense and wisdom, I dip into "Staying Sane" which strengthens my thoughts and actions.

We have an inbuilt mechanism to survive which Raj explains simply and reassuringly. There is no need to spiral into torment.

This positive reasoning is constantly being thrown into doubt by "counsellors", a detrimental exercise, which can cause great anguish, when we are quite capable of helping ourselves, as Raj illustrates.