Psychiatry and its discontents by Andrew Scull

Dr J S Grewal

Written by one of the world's most distinguished historians of psychiatry, Psychiatry and Its Discontents provides a wide-ranging and critical perspective on the profession that dominates the treatment of mental illness. Scull traces the rise of the field, the mid-century hegemony of psychoanalytic methods, and the paradigm's decline with the ascendance of biological and pharmaceutical approaches to mental illness.

It is this swing away from a psychosocial analysis of patients and the over-reliance of medication that I have found most dangerous in the practice of modern psychiatry

Dr Jas Grewal, Consultant Psychiatrist

Overdiagnosis in Psychiatry by Joel Paris

Dr J S Grewal

This book examines the critical problem of over-diagnosis in psychiatry today. Paris shows how over-diagnosis leads to over-treatment while creating a diagnosis for almost all of life's misfortunes

Loneliness and lack of purpose etc. are common in today's fast paced world...and are readily diagnosed as 'depression'. Each incorrect diagnosis then risks the prescription of a powerful psychotropic medication...often for many years

Dr Jas Grewal, Consultant Psychiatrist

The Making of DSM-III by Dr H Decker

Dr J S Grewal

The Making of DSM-III is a book about the long process that resulted in 1980-DSM-III...a far-reaching revisionist work that created a revolution in American psychiatry. 

The crude biological reductionism of the DSM-III is a viewpoint that dominated Western psychiatry in the 1980s, and it continues as the orthodox psychiatric paradigm to this day.

Any description of current Western psychiatry must acknowledge the overwhelming influence of Spitzer and the DSM-III

Eyebrows and Other Fish by Anthony Scally

Dr J S Grewal

Eyebrows and Other Fish is a personal account of the author's traumatic childhood through to his diagnosis of schizophrenia. The book is equally a serious exploration of the barriers faced by a mental health patient and an honest revelation into how "schizophrenic" thought patterns can manifest. The intimate insight Scally provides would be invaluable to anyone interested in mental health issues.

Dr Jas Grewal, Consultant Psychiatrist

Beyond Prozac by Dr Terry Lynch

Dr J S Grewal

As a practising GP, Dr Terry Lynch was plagued by increasing doubts about his effectiveness in dealing with patients experiencing emotional distress. He no longer trusted the drugs handed out as routine treatment for so-called mental illnesses. Changes in his working practice and a training in psychotherapy culminated in the writing of his controversial and deeply felt book

Dr Jas Grewal, Consultant Psychiatrist

Overcoming Alcohol Misuse by Conor Farren

Dr J S Grewal

An original and practical step-by-step guide for those recovering from alcohol or drug addiction. The book has 30 chapters, each dealing with the distinct aspects of the process of achieving sobriety. 

An excellent book for doctors, patients (and their families). It is informative and sensitively written.

Alcohol: The World's Favourite Drug by Prof Griffith Edwards

Dr J S Grewal

In this book, Griffith Edwards uses both history and chemistry to explore the whole issue of alcohol. Is it medicine, a delightful potion, poison, or a mysterious combination of all three? What part has alcohol played in various cultures and religions? Why do different people behave differently when drunk? What cures for habitual inebriation were popular in the past? Why is alcoholism considered a disease? What is "safe drinking"? Is alcohol good for the heart? Do current treatments work? Does Alcoholics Anonymous have the answer?

Dr Jas Grewal, Consultant Psychiatrist

Drugs without the hot air by Prof David Nutt

Dr J S Grewal

The second edition of Drugs without the hot air looks at the science to allow anyone to make rational decisions based on objective evidence, asking: What is addiction? Is there an addictive personality? What is the role of cannabis in treating epilepsy? How harmful is vaping? How can psychedelics treat depression? Where is the opioid crisis taking us?

Great, up to date information

Dr Jas Grewal, Consultant Psychiatrist

Wherever you go, There you are by Jon Kabatt-Zinn

Dr J S Grewal

Exploring principles and practices of mindfulness. Jon Kabat-Zinn has taught this Buddhist method of relaxation for over 20 years. Learn how to capture the present, to live fully in the moment and reduce anxiety, achieve inner peace, and enrich the quality of life. Let this be your guide to mindfulness meditation in everyday life.

Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord

Dr J S Grewal

Can we learn how to be happy? Hector is a successful young psychiatrist. He's very good at treating patients with a psychotic illness. But many patients he sees have no psychiatric disorders: they are just deeply dissatisfied with their lives. Hector can't do much for them, and it's beginning to depress him. So, when a patient tells him he looks in need of a holiday, Hector decides to set off round the world to find out what makes people everywhere happy (and sad), and whether there is such a thing as the secret of true happiness...

Dr Jas Grewal, Consultant Psychiatrist

Waking Up by Sam Harris

Dr J S Grewal

Waking Up is part seeker’s memoir and part exploration of the scientific underpinnings of spirituality. No other book marries contemplative wisdom and modern science in this way, and no author other than Sam Harris—a scientist, philosopher, and famous sceptic—could write it.

Dr Jas Grewal, Consultant Psychiatrist

Change your thoughts, change your life

by Wayne Dyer

Dr J S Grewal

In this book, Dr Wayne W. Dyer has written 81 distinct essays on the "Tao Te Ching" and on how to apply the ancient wisdom of Lao Tzu to today's modern world. Each chapter is designed for actually living the Tao or the Great Way today.

Dr Jas Grewal, Consultant Psychiatrist

The Manticore by Robertson Davies

Dr J S Grewal

Published in 1972 this book describes the aftermath of the mysterious death of Percy Boyd "Boy" Staunton retold during a series of conversations between Staunton's son and a Jungian psychoanalyst.

Dr Jas Grewal, Consultant Psychiatrist

When Nietzche Wept by Irvin Yalom

Dr J S Grewal

The book takes place mostly in Vienna, Austria, in the year 1882, and relates a fictional meeting between the doctor Josef Breuer and the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. The novel is a review of the history of the philosophy and psychoanalysis and some of the main personalities of the last decades of the 19th century