This book, "Going Mad" really surprised me as it explains about the different types of mental illness (mania, schizophrenia and depression) yet in a simple way so it is very easy to understand.
I am actually a college student studying psychology. In my first year, it really helped me understand mental illness, not just from a medical point of view but also from the view of people suffering from a mental illness. It gives their side of things and puts depression for example, into perspective. It normalizes it. I can see that if I went through what they experienced eg: the loss of a loved one, that I too could easily get depressed.
After my read, I bought another copy of the book for a friend of mine who said she was suffering from depression and was put on Prozac by her doctor. After reading it, she and her family realized that what she was suffering from was panic attacks and it was those attacks, that were causing her sadness/ depression. She soon changed doctor and got treated for panic attacks and now is doing great and off the medication! So this book would be a great read, not only for people suffering from a "mental Illness" but also for their family/ friends as it will help them understand where the person with "mental illness" is coming from and clear up any misunderstandings. So in all a great book!