Ten books that refuse to dramatize or sanitize mental illness

Fredrik deBoer is a writer and academic. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Playboy, and Harper’s among many others. His nonfiction books include The Cult of Smart (2020) and How Elites Ate the Social Justice Movement (2023). He holds a PhD in English with a concentration in writing assessment and higher education policy from Purdue University.

The writer's new novel is The Mind Reels.

At Electric Lit deBoer tagged ten books

that make a noble attempt at negotiating the gap between interior illness and exterior narrative. They don’t sanitize the disorientation, the self-doubt, the breakdowns that follow breakdowns; they resist turning mental illness into a metaphor or exotic spectacle.

One title on the list:

Sons, Daughters, and Sidewalk Psychotics by Neil Gong

In Sons, Daughters, and Sidewalk Psychotics, sociologist Neil Gong offers a stark examination of mental health care disparities in Los Angeles. Through ethnographic research, Gong contrasts the experiences of individuals receiving public mental health services with those attending elite private treatment centers. He uncovers a dual system where the wealthy access personalized care aimed at rehabilitation, while the impoverished often face minimal intervention focused on containment. Gong critiques the notion of “freedom” in treatment, highlighting how autonomy can sometimes lead to neglect, especially for those without resources. The book challenges readers to reconsider societal values and the ethics of care, urging a reevaluation of how mental health services are structured and who they really serve.

Read about another entry on the list.

The Page 99 Test: Sons, Daughters, and Sidewalk Psychotics.

--Marshal Zeringue