ORANIT, Israel - Oct. 10, 2019 - "His tales of the patients he encountered in his long career as a psychiatrist are fascinating and make us take his critical views of his specialty seriously. The title, with its intentional biblical overtones, sets the scene." ~ Sir Graeme Catto, Outgoing General Medical Council (UK) President
Book of David: A Manifesto for the Revolution in Mental Healthcare
We learned almost nothing about patients' suffering by obsessing over the role of chemical receptors. It is as meaningful as burning down a library to assess the carbon content.
'All services and interventions must primarily benefit the user and only secondarily the provider. Far too often the order is reversed.'
Author Dr Michael Benjamin is an Israeli psychiatrist for almost fifty years. Benjamin initially treated PTSD. He is primarily a community psychiatrist. Benjamin spent most of his career managing, evaluating, auditing and setting up area psychiatric services.
Book Synopsis
Dr. Michael Benjamin was to mentor David Shooman. David, an immigrant Leeds born Israeli, was to start his career in psychiatry. It was not to be. David was in a fearful accident. Along the lingering pain-strewn path to survival, Shooman succumbed to the inevitability of death. The Book Of David (BoD) is the mentoring process that was never to be. The book takes David and the readers along the tortuous labyrinths of today's mental health. BoD is couched in the simple language used between two companions sharing a common background, outlook on life, sense of humour, expectations, and yes, a deep love of Leeds United.
BoD explains to David how the child develops into adulthood. How this may go wrong, and how we may labour to correct that which we should try to prevent. The book attempts to build concepts using known bricks and architecture differently. BoD adds new ideas and concepts, including the role of society, belief systems and the enormous contribution the internet can and will make. The book discusses new concepts including the 'Automatic Pilot', who flies the 'Automatic Everything.' Often the routing is outdated and highly inefficient- we may well arrive at the wrong destination.
BoD delves into the significant and many interfaces of mental health. The book explores and criticises the role and significance of the provider, therapists, the pharmaceutical behemoth, the legal profession and the role of the internet.
The author believes the internet has a pivotal role to play in all aspects of mental health. BoD is accompanied by a website (MyCyberTherapy.com) exemplifying online interventions and management.
Contact
Brian Schwartz
