Trouble in Mind (Jenni Ogden, Scribe)

Losing your mind, that quintessential ‘me’, even partially, through trauma, disease or disorder, frightens most people. Trouble in Mind is a collection of stories about people who have suffered just that—losing part of their mind. The stories are from patients that the author, neuropsychologist Jenni Ogden, has worked with over her career in New Zealand, Australia and the US. Ten of the 15 patients portrayed in this book featured in Ogden’s 2005 textbook Fractured Minds. However, Trouble in Mind is not a textbook. Ogden’s stories clearly and succinctly explain the medical conditions, and engagingly present the human side of each case in an empathetic and nuanced style. Whether talking about patients with brain trauma from car or motorbike crashes, rugby-induced concussion or suffering from diseases such Parkinson’s and Huntingdon’s, Ogden covers the personal, social and family elements that are often missing in clinical-based nonfiction written by doctors. In this respect Ogden writes with feeling, like that of psychologist Oliver Sacks at his best. This is an eminently readable collection of stories recommended for readers with either a specific, perhaps personal, topic of interest, or those curious about how our minds work in general.

Kevin Orrman-Rossiter is a freelance science writer, journalist, editor and reviewer

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Category: Reviews