Maps of the Mind

A field guide to the pathways and cul-de-sacs of the mind from bestselling author and GP, Dr Gavin Francis. This book is about the contours and landscapes of mental health. We experience the world through the filter of our emotions, but those emotions can be fickle as well as misleading. As human beings we have power over them, and when your feelings are bad, it can be helpful to remember that your being is something quite separate from them entirely. Maps of the Mind traces some of the routes through mental health that Dr Gavin Francis's patients have shown him over his decades as a physician. The twenty-first century has opened up vital conversations about 'mental weather': moods that bring gusts of panic, others that bring freezing fogs of despondency. Now, we need a new model of healthcare which moves beyond diagnosis and offers robust shelters to take cover in until the worst storms pass. What would a framework of mental wellness look like instead, one which understands the different landscapes of mental health we continuously move in and out of? Featuring sensitive case studies from his own practice alongside conversations with therapists, psychiatrists and psychologists, Dr Gavin Francis examines the landscape of Western mental healthcare today and offers new perspectives on the maintenance of mental wellbeing.