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Madness Made Me: A Memoir
After her journey through madness Mary O'Hagan realised the mental health system and society did more harm than good. 'Madness Made Me' is a myth-busting account of madness and our customary responses to it through the lens of lived experience. O'Hagan's journey took her from the psychiatric hospital to the United Nations and many places in between as a leader in the international mad movement. Her fundamental message is that madness is profoundly disruptive but full human experience. The trouble is most people don't see it that way, from the experts who make up clever theories about brain disease to the people down the road who have irrational fears about mad axe-murderers. 'Madness Made Me' is a compelling and beautifully written book that uncovers widespread injustice. It ends with vision for a world that holds hope for people with mental distress and treats them with respect and humanity.
- GenresNonfictionMemoir
264 pages, Paperback
First published May 20, 2014
24 people are currently reading
244 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 8, 2014
If I didn't believe that coercion is wrong, I would force everyone, mad or non-mad to read this book!
I have never "shared" so many quotes on social media before! I have read plenty of Mad books, for pleasure, to find relatability and for professional research but this was the only piece of writing that captured so completely and honestly my own personal and professional journey beliefs and thoughts. Mary's description of pain, enlightenment, recovery and even coming off the meds mirrored my experiences and I cried at the epilogue which showed me how things could have been. I too recently have been wondering whether I've backed the wrong cause but this book reminded me how important this diplomatic war is to keep fighting and renewed my sense of purpose.
June 15, 2016
This book has completely changed my view of mental illness and mental health systems. An essential read for everyone.
The structure of this book was so effective. It starts with a very honest account of Mary's own experience with madness, combining memories, hindsight, her past journal entries and doctors' notes. It continues on to explain how she ended up becoming a mental health commissioner. And finally not only does it explain what we're doing wrong in the world of mental health but offers a suggestion of a way it could be done better.
Not often does a non fiction book have such a profound effect on me. I can't recommend it highly enough.
The structure of this book was so effective. It starts with a very honest account of Mary's own experience with madness, combining memories, hindsight, her past journal entries and doctors' notes. It continues on to explain how she ended up becoming a mental health commissioner. And finally not only does it explain what we're doing wrong in the world of mental health but offers a suggestion of a way it could be done better.
Not often does a non fiction book have such a profound effect on me. I can't recommend it highly enough.
February 2, 2016
"All the fighting drains out of me. Yeah, I am a survivor, but I'm a deeply tired one. Fatigue flods every corner of my being. And I sob for hours at how impossible my life has become. I have a university record that's long and distinguished by the number of courses I have withdrawn from for medical reasons...everything is slipping away from me and I am saturated with a sense of loss. It's not so much my past or present I grieve for but my future"
It was not an easy book to digest due to the very nature of the topic. O'Hagan is honest about her madness (and funny at times) and how brutal the mental institutes treated the clients. She talks about the stigmatization that comes with being mentally ill, the forced recovery, and the lack of support by 'normal' people. She draws a parallel between the Western colonisation of the indigenous people and that of madness by the psychiatrists and mental health professionals.
"Once I was labelled with 'mental illness' I was seen as a helpless bundle of needs without competence and rationality. I was handed over to experts who colonised my story of suffering and condemned me to a predetermined pathway of recurring or deteriorating illness."
She argues that labelling people's illnesses as biological and deeming them unfit for the rest of their lives is not it. Changing the environment [enriching and reinforcing environments] is the key to recovery. I believe her.
It was not an easy book to digest due to the very nature of the topic. O'Hagan is honest about her madness (and funny at times) and how brutal the mental institutes treated the clients. She talks about the stigmatization that comes with being mentally ill, the forced recovery, and the lack of support by 'normal' people. She draws a parallel between the Western colonisation of the indigenous people and that of madness by the psychiatrists and mental health professionals.
"Once I was labelled with 'mental illness' I was seen as a helpless bundle of needs without competence and rationality. I was handed over to experts who colonised my story of suffering and condemned me to a predetermined pathway of recurring or deteriorating illness."
She argues that labelling people's illnesses as biological and deeming them unfit for the rest of their lives is not it. Changing the environment [enriching and reinforcing environments] is the key to recovery. I believe her.
March 2, 2016
One word - honest. This is such an honest and open account of one persons journey through the mental health "system" and up its very raw. The stories Mary tells, the characters she meets and the achievements she has are all so real it's scary. This is a true story. This book is both a success for one person but an insight into what could not otherwise be described as total disempowerment.
December 11, 2022
"It's not your intentions that are the problem, it's your whole 'broken brain' model and you guys are clinging to it like a life raft so you can call yourselves scientists and doctors."
Very confronting book as someone working within the mental health system in Aotearoa New Zealand. Should be a mandatory read for all professionals. Such a disempowering system with dire societal consequences for everyone involved.
Mary's life is a testimony of what recovery can do. I just really disliked her choice of epilogue - the way it could have been. If things were as dreamlike as portraited in there, she wouldn't need to write a book at all... suffering is inherently human.
Living in a capitalistic world that prizes money over people, perhaps I missed a bit of this wider discussion in the book... but overall was an excellent call to the challenge as I abandon psychology entirely to duel in possibilities within a counselling career.
Very confronting book as someone working within the mental health system in Aotearoa New Zealand. Should be a mandatory read for all professionals. Such a disempowering system with dire societal consequences for everyone involved.
Mary's life is a testimony of what recovery can do. I just really disliked her choice of epilogue - the way it could have been. If things were as dreamlike as portraited in there, she wouldn't need to write a book at all... suffering is inherently human.
Living in a capitalistic world that prizes money over people, perhaps I missed a bit of this wider discussion in the book... but overall was an excellent call to the challenge as I abandon psychology entirely to duel in possibilities within a counselling career.
November 28, 2022
Illuminating.
"...labelling my madness to be mental illness did not help my recovery. And here is why.
Once I was labelled with 'mental illness' I was seen as a helpless bundle of needs without competence and rationality. I was handed over to experts who colonised my story of suffering and condemned me to a predetermined pathway of recurring or deteriorating illness."
Knowing that mental illness was not a fact, and seeing it instead as a questionable judgement, allowed me to totally rethink madness. It led met to ask, is madness such a bad thing? Why shouldn't psychiatry and society allow people to be mad if they're happy that way and not harming others? Isn't it more damaging to crush our madness with toxic, invasive treatments than to live with it and understand what it is trying to tell us. How different would our experience be if it was valued and given status?"
"...labelling my madness to be mental illness did not help my recovery. And here is why.
Once I was labelled with 'mental illness' I was seen as a helpless bundle of needs without competence and rationality. I was handed over to experts who colonised my story of suffering and condemned me to a predetermined pathway of recurring or deteriorating illness."
Knowing that mental illness was not a fact, and seeing it instead as a questionable judgement, allowed me to totally rethink madness. It led met to ask, is madness such a bad thing? Why shouldn't psychiatry and society allow people to be mad if they're happy that way and not harming others? Isn't it more damaging to crush our madness with toxic, invasive treatments than to live with it and understand what it is trying to tell us. How different would our experience be if it was valued and given status?"
January 10, 2026
Review of Madness Made Me by Mary O’Hagan
Even from the opening pages, Mary O’Hagan’s writing feels vivid and deeply human. She draws you into her world with such clarity that the scenes don’t just unfold, they settle around you. What struck me most is the way she reclaims the word madness, taking a term so often used as an insult and turning it into a doorway of understanding.
There’s a courage in how she tells her story, not by sensationalising it, but by normalising an experience many people never speak about openly. She traces her journey with honesty, reflects on where it might have begun, and offers a glimpse into life as a psychiatric survivor. Even in the sample alone, you can feel the strength of her voice and the care she brings to a subject so often misunderstood.
I’m looking forward to reading the whole book. It’s rare to find writing that is both this engaging and this grounded, and rarer still to find a perspective that invites us to rethink the language and assumptions we’ve inherited. Mary’s story does exactly that, with clarity, dignity, and depth.
Even from the opening pages, Mary O’Hagan’s writing feels vivid and deeply human. She draws you into her world with such clarity that the scenes don’t just unfold, they settle around you. What struck me most is the way she reclaims the word madness, taking a term so often used as an insult and turning it into a doorway of understanding.
There’s a courage in how she tells her story, not by sensationalising it, but by normalising an experience many people never speak about openly. She traces her journey with honesty, reflects on where it might have begun, and offers a glimpse into life as a psychiatric survivor. Even in the sample alone, you can feel the strength of her voice and the care she brings to a subject so often misunderstood.
I’m looking forward to reading the whole book. It’s rare to find writing that is both this engaging and this grounded, and rarer still to find a perspective that invites us to rethink the language and assumptions we’ve inherited. Mary’s story does exactly that, with clarity, dignity, and depth.
September 26, 2022
This book was my book club's read for the month, wouldn't have bothered reading it but as it is applicable to my work, I read it.
Relevant and interesting read .... viewpoints that I will think about in my daily work.
Relevant and interesting read .... viewpoints that I will think about in my daily work.
February 23, 2022
20220222 - 20220223 HK // 175.781 prescribed reading. mental health service systems from consumer perspective.
December 3, 2024
4.5 stars
July 16, 2023
Incredible book that all mental health workers need to read!
This book has helped inspire me to continue fighting for the human rights of psychiatric patients.
This book has helped inspire me to continue fighting for the human rights of psychiatric patients.
May 3, 2023
Really interested to see that the New Zealand Ministry of Health said this month (April 2023), “The Ministry has revised the guidance on the use of seclusion under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992 (the Mental Health Act). These guidelines now include a stronger emphasis on person-centred and culturally appropriate approaches to safely reduce the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health services.” This is thanks to work from Mary and others 👏
September 23, 2015
The things the author knew in her lived experience were captured well in the book. Her analysis fell apart when she tried to address issues on intersectionality. I appreciated and respected her strong anti-coercion and anti-incarceration stance to mental health treatment and support, although found her hopes to be very idealistic. I too would like to live in that world, but still don't know how to get there.
April 13, 2016
Plenty of thought provoking material in here and I saw many parallels between treatment of people suffering from mental health issues with those that suffer complex medical issues such as Epilepsy. These commonalities were what kept me engaged in the book but I did find the second half rather repetitive and prescriptive.
August 5, 2014
A powerfully thought provoking memoir. Needs to be read by anyone who is experiencing mental distress so that they don't become victims of the deficit system. Madness made me makes more sense than psychiatry.
July 8, 2015
I picked up this book because it was suggested by Rachel Perkins at a recent workshop. If you're looking for a deeper understanding of mental illness and its impact on a person's life, there are better memoirs out there.
February 18, 2016
Fascinating insight into one woman's experience with the New Zealand mental health system and her subsequent determination to change the way people with mental distress are treated change how madness is viewed in society.
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March 29, 2015Inspirational and not a read I could put down until I finished it!
October 4, 2015
Very interesting and thought provoking. Did find it was making me feel a little down reading it and at times it seemed to take me a bit to absorb it all. Not one for enjoyment!
April 24, 2017
This book provides many thought provoking ideas and concepts important for consideration in mental health. However, the arrogance and self-worship combined with such utter disrespect of anyone close to authority, even the Queen, as well as anyone working in mental health, to the point where she is hypocritical. It devalues any contribution her story could make to encouraging the respect and importance of mental health simply through such disrespectful writing to anyone who didn't share her opinions.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews