On the Brink

A clarion call to arms for radical change to the way we think about and treat those in mental distress

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‘Deeply thoughtful and compassionate [...] accessible for the seasoned psychiatrist and general reader alike.’ The British Journal of Psychiatry


 


As Featured on BBC Woman's Hour


 


'Deeply thoughtful and compassionate' Susie Orbach, author of In Therapy


 


'A book with the power to move and inform . . . [Campling] is an expert in "intelligent kindness".' Gwen Adshead, author of The Devil You Know


 


'Fantastic new book from Penny Campling - 5 stars' Dr Kate Lovett, former Dean, Royal College of Psychiatrists


 


Over the course of her 40-year career, psychiatrist and psychotherapist Penelope Campling has worked with patients from all walks of life, from survivors of abuse to ICU doctors struggling under the strain of Covid-19. She has seen many positive changes in how we approach mental health – and yet she is increasingly troubled by the state of our health services. Too often those suffering from serious mental illness are being neglected, locked away, even abused.


 


In On the Brink Campling takes us into the therapy room, offering unique insight into how we treat those in distress. She shows us how the progress made in a more optimistic era of psychiatry is fast being eroded; how our struggling healthcare system often fails those who need our support; and how crucial it is in today's uncertain world that we do not turn away.


 


Candid, compassionate and, above all, hopeful, On the Brink is a story of troubled minds and how we try to heal them.





'[An] insightful, important book . . . an exhibition of what could be possible and an invitation to act to deliver that vision.' Kathryn Mannix, author of Listen


 


'A lucid and much-needed articulation of the frustration shared by so many struggling to keep the NHS afloat' Iona Heath, BMJ


 


'As a GP I wish I could send patients to Penelope Campling; as someone worried about failing mental health services, I wish she were in charge.' Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being


 


'An important book, moving and honest… stands out in its field of psychotherapist memoirs' Beth Guilding, TLS


 


'This book oozes compassion and kindness and made me want to be a more understanding doctor.' Kate Milton, British Journal of GP Practice