The idea for this article has been incubating inside me for years, ever since I came across an old book at a swap meet titled Psychiatry in General Practice. 

It was published in 1948, well before the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) had come into existence, and I found it totally refreshing.

It has chapters such as Unhappy People, Confused People, Anxious People, Suspicious People, Queer and Twisted People (“the psychopath, people in rebellion against society”), and Dreamy People.

It provides detailed case studies illustrating people’s lives and dilemmas, families, work and experiences.