[alert variation=”alert-info”]Publisher: AMACOM
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Kindle, Audible, Audiobook
Purchase: Powell’s | Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | iBooks[/alert]

Talking to Crazy is an interesting book and a good read. Dr. Mark Goulston is a psychiatrist, a consultant for business, the author of ten books, and he writes for various media. He shares his experience for dealing with business associates or family members who occasionally act irrationally in an attempt to further their goals, sometimes at the expense of others.

Is your co-worker or family member a bully, manipulative, or a martyr? Dr. Goulston identifies nine different types of crazy and suggests ways to deal with them in twenty-one short chapters, each of them dealing with an aspect of crazy. Each chapter ends with sections called usable insight, actions, and tips to aid in furthering treatment goals.

This reviewer says treatment goals, because the book amounts to do-it-yourself Psychiatry 101. That is only partly a criticism because, while messing with another person’s mind is complicated and risky, Dr. Goulston is cautionary in his advice and the information in the book is broad enough to adequately prepare the thoughtful person for attempting an effective intervention.

This reviewer doesn’t think he would be confident enough to try most of the strategies in the book but that said, it’s a good read and a comprehensive treatment of “crazy,” and if you’re interested in the subject and adventurous, this book is recommended.

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