Weekends at Bellevue

An honest, inside look at the workings and culture of a big city hospital's psychiatric emergency department

It's all there ... the grit and the humor, the chaos and the compassion. This is a compelling read.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Suburban doc is boring

The author takes an incredibly rich subject matter and uses it as the background to remind us how smart she is about psychiatric meds, what the diner is serving, how she furnishes her on-call room, and how annoying the patients are. There is not a glimmer of interest in her patients or her inability to treat them. Read it for shock value only.

2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Waste of paper

The "Unquiet Mind" book by Kay Redfield Jamison is a WAY better about bipolar than this dribble that passes as a book. Poorly written, as waste of good paper. Get Unquiet Mind instead. The reader gets the distinct impression this writer only wants to be PROVOCATIVE, when in reality the book is dull as dishwater.

2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

an ego fest

I thought this would be (at least mostly) about the different cases she saw at Bellevue, but the more I read, the more I didn't like the author. She claims that she's wanted to be a psychiatrist since childhood, yet it seems to take her several years after graduating med school, plus her own therapy, to even start to understand what her profession is about. I was appalled at the casualness of her treatment of patients, who seem to be sacrificed to the altar of her desire to be a tough-gal cowgirl. I could have lived without her description of the birth of her first child, and the name-dropping. There's also way too much apologizing for her attitudes and actions, as if this book is an explanation for self-centered behavior. She seems to want admiration for sticking it out for nine years-of two-day weekends, not five-day weeks, while the nurses and aides have stuck it out longer and are probably still there. If nothing else, this book made me glad I don't live in New York City.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Disappointing and sometimes boring

I am fascinated by the psychology/psychiatry field and thought this book would be interesting. It's not. The book is not organized well and the narrative moves around a lot--is she talking about the past? The present? Is this even the same patient? The author comes across as kind of a jerk and very self-absorbed--all patient stories are presented as how they relate to her. She thinks she is very smart and tough and macho but she comes across as annoying, whiny, and bratty. The chapters that dealt with her sessions with her psychologist/therapist were tedious and annoying--did I really need to know the whole conversation word for word? And I feel as if she was going for some kind of award for being the most sex-crazed doctor/resident. There were lots of TMI moments. I thought she was her most callous and oblivious regarding her recollections of 9/11. Because she was not in the city at the time, she wasnt touched by the terrorist attacks at all--she went about swimming and sunning herself without a care in the world. She excused this by saying she didn't know it was that bad until she got back to the city. Huh? I live in Pennsylvania and watched the news coverage on tv and was devastated. Also, I hope never to have her as a therapist because she makes her money by pushing drugs on people. She doesn't care what their underlying problems/neuroses/mental illnesses are, she just dopes them up so they feel good for now. What kind of doctor are you??? Overall, if you are looking for a book that sheds light on mental illness and how people deal with them, DO NOT read this book. The patients are a merely a blip on her radar.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

If You Get the Chance to Read This, PASS.

This book was extremely disappointing and not worth the money or time to read it. The writing was horrible- it gave little insight or understanding into the patients themselves or how the author is impacted by her work. She constantly seeks to remind the reader of how smart, down-to- earth, etc. she is and how her work made her a better person, but the entire thing lacks sincerity. She does little to convey the actual suffering of her patients or life working at Bellevue. Most disappointing for me was the fact that the synopsis gives the impression that case files are described in some depth, but that is, to say the least, misleading. At most, patients are given a few brief sentences. Here's hoping she is a better psychiatrist than author.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Fabulously brave, incredibly heartfelt - and an E-Ticket ride to boot!

It is NOT your average doctor who pulls aside the Wizard of Oz curtains and reveals herself as a fallible human being, wrestling with her own issues all the while taking the reader on an E-Ticket (the BEST rides at Disneyland) ride through her 9 years as ER doc on the weekends at Bellevue. Fabulously brave and incredibly heartfelt, it is a testament to what it actually takes this person to navigate, personally and professionally, caring for those who, for whatever reason, are severely mentally ill in so many different manifestations, and attempting to solve each puzzle as it lands in the ER. It also highlighted the thin line between sanity and insanity that so many successfully walk with the assistance of therapy and medication - really bringing mental health to a level that it should be - acknowledged as just another part of life and not something to hide or be ashamed of. I actually listened to the audio version and enjoyed hearing Dr. Holland read it herself - adding a "scratch n' sniff" dimension that really works for this very real, often funny, often questioning, sometimes sad & frustrating book. A relaxing read it's not - more like a wild ride - so strap on your seat belt!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Check out Weekends at Bellevue, You won't be able to put it down!

This intriguing and fast paced look into the world of a psychiatric ER will le.ad you into the complicated world of mental illness.Not only will you observe patients at times of crisis, you will also get to know the doctor who dedicates her life to them. You will see Dr Holland grow from a cocky resident to dedicated professional highly respected in her field .Dr Holland will amaze you with her compassion yet show you her vulnerability as a human being. Meet the one timers, the repats and the homeless that enter the doors of Bellevue.I promise you will be captivated and long remember this book.With times of humor and tears this eye opening journey will be sure to become a favorite.You will learn a new respect for both patient and doctor.

Odd intrigue explored in perfect balance.

I share her draw to fractured minds, and she quickly drew me in. I was along for the ride, only pausing for my own shifts at the hospital. Brava, Dr Holland, Brava!

Worthwhile unless you're simply hoping to enjoy juicy tales of tragedy and madness

This doctor is human, in every sense, and this book reminds me of the saying that insanity is a human being's sane response to an insane world. For those people whose minds live in a place that is no longer connected to reality as the majority of us experiences it, it takes someone with spunk and humor to see the value that is covered up when mental illness has taken over and it takes strong will to keep fighting to uncover that value

I loved this book!!

Mrs. Holland gives the reader a view of the event that goes on in the mental department of an emergency room! What doctors and nurses see everyday!!

What A Disappointment

I thought this book looked like a good read... an interesting inside look at the patients that come through Bellvue. I was so disappointed! Trust me, it has very little information about actual patients. This book spends more time describing herself than anything to do with the patients. There are snippets here and there about patient life but more than anything it is about Julie Holland's day to day life. I definitely could have skipped her personal therapy stories, sex escapades and birthing stories. Also, this book is very disorganized and hard to get through. I DO NOT RECOMMEND!

A great look into the ever stoic doctors persona.

I first picked up this book because my sister has schizophrenia and I am going into the medical field, but it truely changed how I thought about doctors and just how they are. We all know that even the doctors that help us are just people, even if they can somehow do things that save peoples lives, but this really showed the dirt and the grit, the laughs and tears involved in being a doctor, especially in such a stressful evironment such as where Dr. Holland worked at in Bellevue. It showed how she had to work through issues and truely look deeper at what we take for granted, like is he crazy, or is he just crazy to ME? Who are we to say who is or isn't crazy? and I completely agree, from having to take care of my sister since I was 8 as my parents were gone doing other things.
Simply put, a wonderful read, truely gripping at times, and can even change how you look at the world.

Ridiculous price for ebook

No way would I pay this much for an ebook.. let alone one that obviously, from reading the other reviews, isn't that great a book anyway. I may pay this much for a sequel to Twilight or a Harry Potter book but no way would I pay this much for an ebook regardless of the quality or lack thereof. I will buy a book today but it won't cost this much.. it will be under $10. Sad for this author and this publisher.. they made no money off me today

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Narcissism at Bellevue

I listened to an interview with the author, Julie Holland, on "Talk of the Nation" last December and thought she sounded interesting so this was one of the very first books I downloaded to my Nook. What stood out in the book was the author's self-absorption. What I hoped to learn about was the inner workings of that very famous mental institution. What I learned about was the author's perception of how everyone else perceives her. Her self disclosures regarding her professional relationships, her sexual activities and her relationships with clients came across as sophomoric attempts to appear sophisticated. It read more as the journal of a immature teenager trying to impress with her willingness to share inappropriate details of her life. I learned not nearly enough about Bellevue and far more than I would ever care to know about Julie Holland.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Doctor or Hero Syndrome?

Working actively in the medical field with 70% of patient interaction stemming from underlying mental issues, I can closely identify with the author's struggle of maintaining a nurturing soul vs. the rough exterior that is often built. I was also able to relate to the relationships formed between her and coworkers (same garbage, different name above the hospital door). With that being said, it was hard for me to decipher whether or not she genuinely cared about the patients, or was just in it for the "adrenaline rush" that so many of us in the medical field crave for. Quite a bit of the story was dragged out so far that I wanted to skip a few pages ahead to see if she got to the point yet, and a lot of what I percieved as a whiney persona came out. I felt the book eminated more of a "look at me, the hero" syndrome. There was seldom a time I truly felt as though she showed a genuine concern for her patients which is what defines a respectful professional in the medical field. Most can be taught do the job, it's the bedside manners that define the professional.

Interesting

an interesting and entertaining read, good insight on mental illness

A STORY YOU'LL NOT FORGET

A STORY YOU'LL NOT FORGET, December 19, 2009


For most of us weekends are happily anticipated days, times of relaxation and pleasure. Not so for Dr. Julie Holland - she worked weekends at a job that many could not even imagine, she was in charge of Bellevue Hospital's psychiatric emergency room. For some just the name Bellevue has become synonymous with the detritus, the disenfranchised of New York City. It was she who saw them, heard their stories and decided who would be sent away or who would be relegated to a ward.

Evidently Dr. Holland kept copious files as her story is laced with accounts of the troubled who came - a vast army of the mentally ill, everyone from a serial killer to a subway conductor who witnessed a woman being pushed in the path of his train.

Also included is a large portion of Dr. Holland's own life describing early years during which she dreamed of becoming a rock star, her medical training, and her marriage.

A popular lecturer and medical expert on numerous television programs she now oversees a private practice in New York City. Nonetheless, the nine years she spent at Bellevue have taken their toll - there are people she will never forget and who will not be forgotten by those who listen to WEEKENDS AT BELLEVUE. Listening to an audio book read by the author is for this hearer a personal, an intimate experience if you will. Just as no one can tell a life story better than the one who has lived it so in all probability no one could have read this memoir with the same understanding and depth of feeling as the author.

- Gail Cooke

Fascinating, brave, and an E-Ticket ride to boot!

It is NOT your average doctor who pulls aside the Wizard of Oz curtains and reveals herself as a fallible human being, wrestling with her own issues all the while taking the reader on an E-Ticket (the BEST rides at Disneyland) ride through her 9 years as ER doc on the weekends at Bellevue. Fabulously brave and incredibly heartfelt, it is a testament to what it actually takes this person to navigate, personally and professionally, caring for those who, for whatever reason, are severely mentally ill in so many different manifestations, and attempting to solve each puzzle as it lands in the ER. It also highlighted the thin line between sanity and insanity that so many successfully walk with the assistance of therapy and medication - really bringing mental health to a level that it should be - acknowledged as just another part of life and not something to hide or be ashamed of. I actually listened to the audio version and enjoyed hearing Dr. Holland read it herself - adding a "scratch n' sniff" dimension that really works for this very real, often funny, often questioning, sometimes sad & frustrating book. A relaxing read it's not - more like a wild ride - so strap on your seat belt!

No text was provided for this review.