From the Edge of the Couch [Paperback]

Raj Persaud (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2004

You may think that vampires and werewolves were merely the stuff of bad Hollywood films and mysterious legends, but as Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Raj Persaud reveals, there are real people out there who believe they are werewolves and vampires. As a result, they behave in ways beyond our most disturbing dreams and the wildest fantasies of imaginative film producers. In the tradition of Oliver Sacks' bestselling book, THE MAN WHO MISTOOK HIS WIFE FOR A HAT, Dr Persaud uses authentic case studies to explain current thinking on brain function and emotional disorders - such as that of the man who could only get his sexual kicks by being crushed in garbage trucks, the film fan who embedded dozens of needles into his body in order to become a robot, and those who take dieting to the ultimate limit by obsessively giving blood or eating nothing but toilet paper. Through these and other conditions, such as Alien Hand Syndrome - where suffers believe that one of their own hands is out to harm them - Multiple Personality Disorder, Erotomania and the cases of some women in Turkey whose tears are actually filled with blood, Dr Persaud also suggests that we may not have as much free will and control over our bodies as we would like to believe and provides startling new evidence that these conditions might be more common than sceptical psychiatrists realize. Fascinating, illuminating and full of absorbing true case studies, FROM THE EDGE OF THE COUCH reveals how medical science is still struggling to fully understand the workings of the mind - and offers proof that fact really is much stranger than fiction.

Editorial Reviews

Review

There's nowt so strange as folk. Like the man who enjoys in a sexual sense getting crushed in garbage trucks. Or the film fan who tried to turn himself into a robot by filling his body with needles. Or the people who really believe they are werewolves and vampires and conduct themselves accordingly. This is popular psychiatry as freak show, so it has immense voyeuristic appeal, but the author is a consultant at the Maudsley Hospital, London, and a well-known agony uncle on ITV's This Morning. So there's plenty of weirdness here, but it's well written weirdness. Plus it's sanitised for the reader's protection by academic references and the prophylactic jargon of the science of the mind. Don't shelve under Self Help. Try Beyond Help. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553813463
• ISBN-13: 978-0553813463
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,810,565 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful overview of bizarre mental illnesses, August 29, 2010

By 

J. Barnes "Jill" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From the Edge of the Couch (Paperback)

Absolutely fascinating and very informative. Changed my perspective and broadened my view in many ways. Highly recommended.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dr Raj Persaud is the expert, March 30, 2004

By 

Zev Saftlas "Founder and Host of EmpoweringMe... (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: FROM THE EDGE OF THE COUCH (Paperback)

Dr Raj Persaud is an internationally recognized expert in the personal development industry. When he talks people listen. If you are interested in self-improvement I highly recommend you reading all of Dr Persaud's books.

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated