critical psychiatry – arquerociego

This book is a general guide to mental health for helping people in crisis.

Thus, this book can be classified within the didactic genre in the form of a guide or practical essay and subclassified among those in the field of Psychology.

This is a single edition (4th reprint) launched jointly by Primera Vocal and Biblioteca Social Hnos. Quero. On the one hand, Primera Vocal defines itself as a simple and humble project that aims to make texts accessible to help see connections between mental health and critiques of capitalism. On the other hand, Biblioteca Social Hnos. Quero was founded in 2003 to respond to the collective need for a space in Granada that promotes political education and self-organisation. It is an autonomous and self-managed project. This book is not translated into English.

Publication date: 2016
Country: Spain
Pages: 74
Reading date: February 2023
Rating: 5/5

Javier Erro is the author of this mental health guide for those around people in crisis. He works as a psychologist and researcher. He is also an activist involved in mental health and critical Psychiatry.

Other books published by him are:

Birds in the head. Mental health activism from Spain and Chile (2021)
Discomfort is something else. On the need to broaden our notion of suffering (2025)

Within the list of other books published by the same author, those for which there is already a post in this blog are highlighted.

Click on it to read it!

During the summer of 2022, I travelled to Asturias with my partner and we stayed in Oviedo. On one of our walks around the city, I came across a bookshop, whose name I cannot remember, which was also a social club with a catalogue of books on political, philosophical, social and critical topics. Looking at the shelves, my eyes fell on this book. It was in the critical Psychiatry section, and I thought it might be useful in my clinical practice with patients and their families, as I was doing my Internship as a Mental Health Nurse in Zaragoza (EIR) at the time.

«One aspect to bear in mind is that professionals do not “cure”. They provide resources, tools and information, and can offer support when it comes to expressing emotions. These strategies can alleviate suffering and even reduce it significantly, but it rarely disappears completely. Understanding these limitations can help us to have more realistic expectations and to get involved in a healthier way, both for ourselves and for the person in crisis«.
Javier Erro

The book is written in simple, direct language. It is perfect for those who are less familiar with mental health issues. It can be read by people with these problems, professionals, and those close to someone suffering from mental illness. I believe the book strikes a perfect balance between being critical of issues such as help, boundaries, medication and the therapeutic relationship, and being conciliatory and peaceful, offering a first human approach to these issues.

«One way to understand the role of psychiatric drugs is to think of them as crutches. They do not take away the pain in our leg, nor do they make a broken bone heal faster. However, they allow us to walk when we have a bad leg, and we cannot ask for more or less than that».
Javier Erro

The topics covered are varied, as are the different questions. Some of them are, for example, suicide, self-harm, psychotic symptoms such as delusions, paranoia and hallucinations, depression, mania… These are in a more clinical category, but it does not forget to address issues related to the helping relationship, hospital admissions, the person’s social environment, communication with them… I think that for such a short book, it is quite concise and to the point, dealing with the important issues.

«If someone close to you says they are having a hallucination, or you think they are having one based on what they say or do, the first thing to do is stay calm. The last thing they need is to see someone reacting with fear, aggression, incomprehension or laughter. Nor should you be patronising. We should try to understand them, talk to them if they want to talk, help them calm down and let them know that we are there for them. They may also want to be alone. In this case, we should respect their wishes as long as there is no risk involved».
Javier Erro

The part I liked the most is the one about the social environment of people with mental health issues. The way it deals with the issue of helping relationships, communication, bonds, stigma… is very human and sensitive. It gives this factor a well-deserved weight and importance that is often overlooked. This contextual aspect of the person is essential and vital in recovery and in dealing with crises and breakdowns.

«In any case, it should be borne in mind that the less information the environment has, the less social support there will be, and the less support there is, the more effort will be required of those who do have such information».

«This is not a protocol. In mental health, there can be no protocols. Situations can be extremely complicated, with multiple factors involved that we often do not even know about at first, and that we will probably never know about. But at the same time, starting from a position of ignorance is much better than acting on predetermined ideas, rumours, advice from dubious websites, or professionals with narrow mindsets. To learn, we must communicate, and this can be a good starting point. So, this is a call to lose our fear. If we communicate with the person and help them get through this difficult time, we are not being authoritarian, but understanding. Most likely, their social network will be diminished by what is happening to them, and as a result, their freedom as a person will be reduced. Without the mutual support of those around them, they will only have professional help, and sometimes this is enough, but more often than not, it is not. Beyond the effectiveness of treatments and interventions, in this short text we will try to find a new, healthier and more reasonable way of relating to each other. If our friend thinks that aliens want to abduct him, or that this life is not worth living, we will have to be the first ones there. Against the aliens and, perhaps, against this life».
Javier Erro

The tone of the writing is humble, approachable and self-critical. A book like this is welcome in this field, as it brings to light real dilemmas and the coherence of someone who only seeks to help and accompany others.

«We all have mental health, and it can be better, worse, or on a roller coaster. For many years, our idea of mental health has been reduced to mental health problems. Only considering it when it causes us problems suggests that in other circumstances it is a factor we should not pay attention to and that mental health is a problematic issue in itself. This leads us to not know how to react when these problems are very complex or seem strange to us, forgetting our ability to support each other and also hiding the reality that psychological suffering is much more common than we think (if not universal). Therefore, the first thing we wanted to make clear is that we should not only react to a person’s problems when they are already in crisis, but that the ideal would be to learn to take care of each other on a daily basis».
Javier Erro

In conclusion, this is a highly recommended guide for family members and others close to someone with mental health issues, as well as for the individuals themselves and for trained or trainee professionals. I have lent this book to residents and students, and they have found it very satisfying to read, both as an introduction and as a comprehensive and concise summary. A book that breaks down the stigma surrounding mental health.