True, we love life, not because we are used to living, but because we are used to loving. There is always some madness in love, but there is also always some reason in madness. --NietzscheThis book aims to open up the debate on mental disorders, to get people interested and talking, and to get them thinking. For example, what is schizophrenia? Why is it so common? Why does it affect human beings but not other animals? What might this tell us about our mind and body, language and creativity, music and religion? What are the boundaries between mental disorder and 'normality'? Is there a relationship between mental disorder and genius? These are some of the difficult but important questions that this book confronts, with the overarching aim of exploring what mental disorders can teach us about human nature and the human condition. Winner of the BMA Young Authors' AwardReviewsThis book is packed with striking insights... Burton's passion and enthusiasm for the subject never slips. --Remedy MagazineUltimately, this is a work of contradictions, an undemanding read that could challenge your view of the world. --Medical Journalists' AssociationA really accessible and thorough approach to a complex and often impenetrable subject. --British Neuroscience AssociationAn interesting way of looking at things, and one that puts a positive spin on illnesses which are usually portrayed as being nothing but negative. --The Oxford TimesNeel Burton succeeds brilliantly, not only in explaining different types of mental illness in simple terms, but also in the breadth of understanding he brings to aspects of life outside the mental straitjacket. --British Medical Association This remarkable book ... provides a highly readable and at the same time authoritative account that by combining literary and scientific sources shows the deep connections between madness and some of our most important attributes as human beings. --Prof Bill Fulford, University of Oxford