Customer Reviews

5150 - One Who Flew Into The Cuckoo's Nest

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

5150 is an extraordinary and compelling account of mistreatment at the hands of the mental health system after an extremely abusive and terrifying childhood. It is also a testament to the human spirit. Kathi Stringer has been subjected to more cruelty than it seems possible anyone could endure. She emerges from true hell to help others, but hardly intact. Grippingly written, this book uniquely intersperses hospital progress notes with the narrative and gives an objection by objection account of legal proceedings by a lawyer really fighting for her client. This is a real world account by someone labeled crazy who is everything but. This is an important and highly recommended book, especially for mental health professionals, family members, and others who are interested in knowing how involuntary commitment is experienced.

Kathi Stringer has written a personal account of her journey through the hell of the misinformed and sometimes biased world of the mental patient that very little is known of. She illustrates how misinformation, bias, and control over-ride the need for realistic investigation, research and compassion when it comes to over-burdened public systems. She has also, shown the ability, like people similar to herself, to rise above the quagmire they sometimes find themselves thrust into, to combat the system and make things better for herself and others. I found her trial, sadly, similar to others who have shared the abuse, neglect, and isolation she has endured. I enthusiastically suggest that this is a helpful tool for any social-worker, psychiatrist, psychologist or therapist that may deal with someone who exibits similar personality traits to Kathi's. It is a very useful tool for assisting one to understand, somewhat, what she has been through. The book is interesting, informative and realistic.

Joseph Silverthorn, Professor and Researcher
Bremerton, Washington

A true story about a woman caught in a life or death struggle with a psychiatrist whose ego feels he must defeat her at all costs. The psychiatrist forgets all about healing and enters into combat with the patient -- it's his will versus hers. The battle scenes are vividly captured through Kathi's eyes as well as through the chart notes that reveal the terrifying specter of the thoughts of the staff as they try to force their will upon Kathi.

Kathi sought healing and instead found a system corrupt with ego, force, coercion and just plain insanity. Cuckoo's Nest had Nurse Ratched and 5150 has it's Dr. Mason. Both are frightening but Ratched is fiction. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the oppression of the psychiatric system and the egos that drive that oppression. Thank god Kathi survived to tell the story.

This book goes to a different level, I haven't read anything like it. I felt a different emotion with every turn of the page. When I could put it down, I recapped the previous pages over and over in my mind. I wish I had a tenth of the strength this author has. A great read, a shocking education.

After receiving this book, I had to read it every moment I could. I was totally engrossed in Kathi Stringer's story. Kathi is advocating we get involved in monitoring and changing how we see people once they receive a diagnosis with symptoms of a brain disorder. This book showed me how unhelpful treatment can be. Kathi Stringer is passionate about improving treatment to anyone diagnosed. This is a bona fide clarion call that we must learn, understand and move to support systemic change. I loved the book. Reading 5150 made me more passionate that I can be part of the recovery solution.

Kathi has given a brutally honest account of the inner workings of a mental ward's functioning. With the actual progress notes juxtaposed with Kathi's real-time thoughts and emotions it is clear the staff never bothered to check-out the reality she was experiencing. This book makes you wonder who's more out of touch the patient or the staff and doctors. For sure, Kathi's excellent lawyer is well grounded. But, you must read the book and travel all the twists and turns to arrive at the surprising ending.

"5150" is a well written, uniquely told autobiography and an exciting courtroom drama. Don't miss it.

Lynne Stewart, Senior Editor
The Thermometor Times/DBSA Newsletter & DBSA-CA Newsletter

Always the hostess, Kathi welcomed us each Saturday night to her Dancetime dance hall in the hills of South Corona. In the early 1990's, the trek up a winding dirt road to her ranch compound was a routine weekend destination. That rural, almost-mountainous arroyo provided the perfect setting for an evening of country dancing.

Dance teacher Kathi, partner Christina, and deejay Jumpin' Jack created the look, the music, and the hospitality of an old-time, small-town Texas dance hall where families and patrons of all ages were welcome.

We loved a dance hall owner who "got it," who treated customers with respect, provided a good time, and didn't try to dig every last dime out of our pockets.

We knew that Kathi had once been Johnnie, but nobody cared. Kathi focused on her customers, not on herself. I had no clue about either the agonizing surgery in her past or the chamber of horrors in her future. As a result, Kathi Stringer's book 5150 hit me like a mule kick to the head.

Kathi suffered and survived a 48-day Kafkaesque ordeal in the labyrinth mental health system of Riverside County where some doctors appeared crazier than their patients. Despite that treatment, she joined the Riverside County Quality Improvement Committee and began to turn the stumbling blocks into building blocks.

Kathi's stunning website, [...], provides a goldmine for both patients and advocates of a variety of mental health conditions. In a new venue--the website--Kathi is back to her role of greeting visitors and focusing on their needs, not hers. She was always the hostess.

As for the movie, I'm seeing Charlize Theron.

Dear Miss Stringer;

May I call you Kathi? I own both your books and have cried so much I am having a hard time finishing 5150. You are so amazing and courageous. I wish I had your strength! I saw me in so much of what happened to you. As a victim of inpatient "care" on more than one occasion and with many of the same and similar diagnoses, MDD, BPD, cluster "b" NOSes, and infantilism, and gender identity issues. I have faced the humiliation of a mocking and uncaring staff of nurses orderlies, police, ambulance drivers and social workers on many occaisons. I am grateful it never went as far as a 5250 for me!

THANK YOU for WRITING 5150! I haven't gotten onto psych 101 (though I own it) yet. It seems we took some of the same self help tracks tooo! I read the DSM IV(TR), wests annotated codes on welfare and institutions and also owned a copy of Marsha Linehan's Manual for treating BPD before finally finding the first rally helpful thing I could relate to. YOUR BOOK! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Plaease accept a great big hug via email from me.

HUG!

I wish you the bestest of life!

Koyaanis P. Qatsi

PS I will try and send you a picture of my bestest friend, Miss Cuddles Hunny Bunny if you would like. We are currently staying in a homeless shelter, but we come to the libraries to email and read lots. I hope I too can find the care and treatment in an outpatient setting that I need some day. Thank you again sooo much!

Just wanted to say I am very upset with how many errors are in this book. An elementary school child could have skimmed through it and corrected them. Why print a book if you do not care enough to edit it. Also, the book was not cheap, at least not on amazon.com! Just very aggravated a book can be published with so many errors. Is an interesting story though. This entire book has though instead of through. Poor editing!

As a person with a mental illness, I found this read to be interesting, but not indicative of my experiences with hospitalization and the psychiatric community in general. By portraying her difficult and awful treatment for her mental illness, I am afraid that her book would cause people who need help from seeking treatment. I also would have liked to hear more about her activism in seeking changes in the laws that concern mental illness. It seems that by explaining more about what she has accomplished, she can show others how to speak out.