Bedlam’s Door: True Tales of Madness and Hope
By Mark Rubinstein
Why would a man born in Hungary and living on Manhattan’s Lower East Side run down Delancey Street ranting “I’m king of the Puerto Ricans”?
What would compel a physically healthy woman to persuade surgeons to operate on her more than a dozen times?
How was it possible for a man wearing a straitjacket to commit suicide within a locked psychiatric ward while in the company of a well-trained guard?
Though these and the other stories in this volume read like fiction, each is true.
Former practicing psychiatrist Mark Rubinstein opens the door and takes the reader deep into the world of mental illness. From the chaos of a psychiatric emergency room to the bowels of a maximum security prison, the stories range from bizarre to poignant and the people from noble to callously uncaring.
Bedlam’s Door depicts the challenges mental illness poses for patients, their families, health-care professionals, and society. More importantly, it demystifies the subject while offering real hope for the future.
Read an Excerpt | Table of Contents
Bedlam’s Door is available now!
Praise for Bedlam’s Door
“In Bedlam’s Door Mark Rubinstein gives many examples of his own psychiatric journey in battling the formidable forces of madness, and they are indeed stories of Wars ending in varying stages of Peace. They will linger in our memory for a very long time, and we are grateful to him for his courage and his humanity in sharing them with us.”
—From the foreword by Richard C. Simons, MD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and Past President, American Psychoanalytic Association
“Bedlam’s Door is a riveting read about madness and mental illness. Mark Rubinstein—award-winning novelist, physician, and psychiatrist—is the perfect guide for this journey through the mysteries of the mind, from despair to hope, and he does it in brilliant form. If you enjoy psychology, crime fiction, a good story, and forensics, this is a must-read book.”
—Linda Fairstein, bestselling author of the Alexandra Cooper series
“Bedlam’s Door: True Tales of Madness and Hope contains fourteen remarkable stories—they are truly turnkey experiences. Sober, riveting, and at times humorous, they are full of surprises. The book provides so much to learn no matter how much you already know about psychology and human behavior.”
—Warren Tanenbaum MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Emeritus, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center
“Alas, there is an art to medicine! Mark Rubinstein’s Bedlam’s Door offers a deeply compassionate portrayal of that state of being that transcends normal: madness. The stories are rich, vibrant, surprising, and most importantly, human. Whether you’ve ever been a psychiatric patient or know someone who has—this book is a must-read!”
—Helen M. Farrell, MD, Psychiatrist and Forensic Psychiatrist, Harvard Medical School, and Instructor, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
“The stories in Bedlam’s Door are Mark Rubinstein’s vivid and finely wrought accounts of his own interactions with men and women who inhabit the world of mental illness. His consistently humane, attentive, and self-reflective narrative provides the key to unlocking our greater understanding and compassion—essential traits for the crucial endeavor of offering the help and hope these people desperately need.”
—Roger Rahtz, MD, Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst, New York City
“In Bedlam’s Door, Mark Rubinstein presents a series of fascinating clinical vignettes from the field of psychiatry. Rubinstein is a brilliant storyteller who entertains and educates the reader in an empathic and compelling fashion. Bedlam’s Door is a thoughtfully written book that gives the reader a provocative glimpse into a psychiatrist’s world.”
—Donna Sutter, MD, MPH, Psychiatrist and former Clinical Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine
“Dr. Rubinstein graciously accompanies the reader across the threshold of Bedlam’s Door to introduce fourteen struggling souls in the grips of mental illness. In doing so, he skillfully helps dispel the mystery and fear that paralyzes the mind of the uninitiated.”
—Andrea R. Polans, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, former Clinical Instructor, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center
