If you enjoyed this go check out my other video 'Psychologist reads: The Maidens by Alex Michaelides' . Or 'Psychologist reads: The Witcher' in which I diagnose Geralt of Rivia🐺 Let me know your thoughts on the Silent Patient 🤓

Actually, in the book, it *is* mentioned that the staff always carries a personal attack alarm with them at all time. I am pretty sure Theo knew about the consequences of going to his patients relatives without permission. That's why he tried to hide it from Diomedes. *SPOILER* I agree with the lack of cameras. In the book it has been made clear that security of the patients is top priority yet this is not shown playing out. When Theo drugs Alicia in the end, why doesn't anyone consult the cameras to see who went into her room. The police comes and just takes Christain with them simply based on Theo's words.

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Fatima, thanks for the great response! They do have a personal attack alarm, but its mentioned they don't have it on them. For instance Theo puts it on the table. We had to always carry it on us and never let it out of our sight, because it's your safety button in case things go wrong (and they did go wrong from time to time). That's true, he did try to hide it. In hindsight let's face it, he was obsessed so he might've gone through lengths a 'normal' therapist wouldn't have. Still if I even visited one of the relatives once I would be instantly fired. It's just not done, only if it's a legal guardian. It's just surprising that Theo got away with so much in a good working facility. Exactly!!! That was a bit of a letdown, the ending. They just assumed it went a certain way, but that just doesn't feel credible. Especially in such a place with so many colleagues. Thanks again for discussing the book and thanks for watching 💙

@fatima_nadeem

3 жыл бұрын

@@LeandaBrooks Loved your psychological analysis.

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

​@@juniorvargas5421 Good point about needing lawyers. Come to think of it when you're in a forensic psychological facility you always have a personal lawyer to represent you when it comes to decisions about the time you're spending in a facility or countability and stuff like that. And yes giving the police a diary shouldn't be enough to fire and arrest someone (luckily in rel life it isn't). Thanks so much for joining the discussion. It's really interesting to think about these kind of things.

@bhaveshchadha5047

11 ай бұрын

​@@LeandaBrookswas it a good working facility tho?

I agreed with the psychologist that Alicia was not given the proper therapy…she was an artist,right. Why did it take 6 years before somebody came on the scene, Theo, before they gave her paints and paper.

@CarterLa_14

Жыл бұрын

Its a book, it’s supposed to be cliche and untrue in a lot of aspects to get whatever point or story that the author is truing to get across in the most digestible and tasteful way for him. Writing is about writing not for what you think people would like, but for a book you want to read.

oooooh this was so interesting to hear your perspective as a psychologist!

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I thought I try something different 😊 Glad you liked it!

*SPOLEIRS* About Theo going around talking to relatives, it didn't impress me much in the end because it is revealed that he had already broken most ethical barriers by breaking in Alicia's house, tying her up and messing with her FOR HOURS while waiting for her husband and then doing the same with him. Theo was firstly presented as a person with a traumatizing childhood who is, however, healing if not already healed. But, he is then revealed to be as distorted as Alicia. We even see him picking up a rock ready to literally kill Gabriel in the middle of a sidewalk. He was clearly not okay, his only happiness, his only safe place had betrayed him with no return. From this moment and afterwards, it was over for him, he was technically gone. Even Theo himself admits it and says in the end of the book that he wouldn't ever talk to Ruth for all that happend as he did after learning Cathy, his wife of 7-9 years, had cheated on him. Because as he said, he was not the same person as six years ago, he described himself as a lier and basically, an @sshole. He never treated Alicia as a psychotherapist and that of course would be impossible anyways because he was involved in her story in such a definitive way. He might have not killed Gabriel himself but come on, he scarred both of them with the whole tying and shouting and lying AND SHOOTING. He freaking just left the gun in front of Alicia. He was responsible with no way out and although he doesn't admit it (on the contrary he says he doesn't believe it is his fault), he acted exactly as if he felt responsible. I don't doubt that in between his intentions he also wanted to help Alicia but the dude would have never done all that during her treatment if he himself wasn't as involved in the murder and as distorted and broken as his patient. Edit: Okay, the book definitely hasn't left my mind these days. I have a little bit more to add lol. I mentioned earlier that Theo MUST have felt responsible to actually quit his promising job and apply to a place like the Grove but the more I think about it the more I understand that no, he really *did* want to help Alicia (on top of being forever involved in the case). And that is because Alicia felt like a relatable person to Theo from the moment he saw her by the window of the house when he discovered that Gabriel had a wife as well. He didn't even know her yet the moment he saw her from far away, he described how the two of them were in the same position of betrayal as if this relatability brought him comfort. He mentioned in the book a hundred times about how the two of them had had similar painful childhoods and about how much he felt her and related to her. His wife was the first person in his life who ever understood him but after cheating, Alicia was the second one. And Theo didn't just want to help her, he HAD to do so because he had failed to help his own self and he KNEW that the moment he failed to let go of Cathy. He never brought any justice to that little child inside of him but rather didn't manage to protect him so his only way to catharsis would be by helping a person as broken as he was.

@LeandaBrooks

2 жыл бұрын

What a great perspective on the story! Thanks so much for your elaborate comment. I think you've described it very well. Especially the part with the trauma and 'he was technically gone'.

@elenisidiropoulou7475

2 жыл бұрын

@@LeandaBrooks Aww, thanks so much for reading my comment and responding even though the video is a year old! The book and the characters indeed touched me a lot, I put a lot of thinking into it but while I was busy writing this I forgot to thank you for your input in the review❣

All the security features you mention are actually in the story - Theo has a beeper (much is made of this), security are called though not shown in the story, and Alicia is thrown into isolation after she attacks another patient.

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

Hi there. True Theo has a beeper but it is not on him at all times. For example he leaves it on a table during one of his conversations with our silent patient. There are more examples like that and in my experience, in the forensic field, you have it on you at all times. Not only for your own safety but also for others. When the alarm goes off you're expected to help your colleague (when trained). There is security and it is called but it is explained as one person. That why I mentioned it because there would be occasions, especially when you have a forensic facility, that the police needs to be called or an entire security unit. I base this on the fact that the author calls it a 'secure forensic unit'. The isolation thing had more to do with the other patients. There was this incident with Elif. There are multiple situations that she is way out of line and very aggressive, more so than Alicia. She is not thrown in isolation. I hope that kind of explains what I meant with the security features 🙃 and again this is based on personal/working experience. it might be different in other countries or other types of facilities! Thank you for watching and discussing the book 😊

@YS-ep7zw

3 жыл бұрын

@@LeandaBrooks That’s a helpful explanation, thanks for clarifying 🙂 It must have been fascinating working in forensics. I suppose the author had to take some creative license in order to add drama, either that or they didn’t do their research properly. I know Alicia’s sharp tools from her art supplies were confiscated, but they should have also taken her other equipment when unsupervised. Also, one of the staff was dealing drugs to Elif!

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

@@YS-ep7zw no problem! It's always fun to discuss these kind of things. It was and, as a woman, a little bit scary sometimes because I worked with man that were convicted for pretty serious crimes 🙈 but also really interesting and it really helped me in becoming a better psychologist. Wouldn't necessarily want to work in forensics again though 😅 I mean for books and movie scripts you have to dramatize it a little bit so I get it. That's why I wanted to give two separate opinions (as booktuber and as psychologist) 😊

I love that you give a psychologist's perspective!

Hello! I'm a fresh graduate of BS Psychology and I recently got into psychological thrillers. I haven't read much books of the genre yet and this book was one of the top recommended books on the list so I gave it a try. As I went thru the pages (i'm not done yet btw) and I read some stuff that were unethical and I doubted myself whether I was thinking right. So I searched "the silent patient review from a psychologist's perspective' and lo behold! You are a life saver! Haha! Thanks for assuring me that my knowledge was still intact in terms of this field. Subbed!

@LeandaBrooks

2 жыл бұрын

Hi there Khal! Haha no problem at all. I thought this was the perfect book to look at from a psychologist perspective. If you ever have any other book recs let me know 🙃

Very interesting perspectives, thank you🌹❤

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Aziz. Great to hear and thank you for watching 😊

It's really interesting hearing perspective from a real psychologist like you. I agree that it's very unethical the way Theo treat Alicia. He claimed that understanding her childhood or her past will make him understand Alicia better, which i guess theoretically it's true right? but as you said he did it without her permission so it's a no-no. If we talk about it as a fiction i still think it's a brilliant storytelling with the way the lay out chapters and timelines. The language is also make me feel like i'm watching a movie, I can easily imagine the camera angles, the color and the sound. This is my first psycho thriller read so everything excites me 😂This book is actually a reading assignment and we will discuss it in an online class to so If i get a chance to talk about realistic perspective I will definitely credit your video! Thank you so much for your insights and have a good day! 🥰

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Chayanin, thanks so much for your reaction 🥰 Theoretically that is true. Psychological traits and personality disorders find their origin in the way a kid grew up. Was it safe? Was there a good support system? Abuse? Socioeconomic status? However there's also a part that's genetic. They've done a lot of twin studies on psychiatric diseases and even though this is still a point of discussion a lot points to psychiatric diseases finding their origin in both childhood/environment and genetics (nature vs. nurture). It is brilliant storytelling. That plot twist made me gasp lol. It's written like a movie script but in this case that only added to the suspense as you say 😆🙈 Ah I would be honored. Don't feel like you have to though! And thank you for watching and joining the discussion 🤗

With your bubbling and positive personality its so hard to imagine you in a forensic setting 😅 but I love this kind of content from you, very refreshing to see books analysed by a professional in the field. I got very curious about all the treatments you mentioned in the end, you should consult writers to make their thrillers more realistic 😅😉🕵️

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

Haha yeah you can say I have two faces when it comes to my profession. The bubbly side and the serious side (but always with empathy). No matter my age I was always seen as 'the mom' lol. Thanks, I'm glad you like it 🥰 These are not my most watched videos but I absolutely love making these kind of in depth reviews 😊 I never thought of that, is that even a thing? I would love to do that 👏🏻

As someone with bpd I understand your point. However, some people fall into the 'quite' subtype where their feeling are directed inwardly and not outwardly. So you wouldn't always know that they were the 'classic borderline'. Thanks for you video I found it interesting hearing your take!

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Sian, thanks for watching and for leaving a comment 😊 I agree with you, there's always the 'classic' diagnosis and then there's just being human (meaning every diagnoses has different variations). Same goes for autism, it's a broad spectrum. So thank you for putting that into words 🙃 I'm glad to hear you found it interesting! I do loads of book reviews and once upon a book club unboxings (you might like those as well). Have a nice day ✨

So many have recommended this book! I will have to read it. :)

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

You should! The twist will make your jaw drop 👏🏻

I enjoyed your review very much! I also felt that the security systems were lousy and unrealistic. And I was abashed that the clinic hadn't fired Theo on the spot when they HAD A COMPLAINT ABOUT HIM MEDDLING. I am no psychologist, but I have experience as a patient. Not in the forensic field, thank God :)) And even I know the very basics of ethics. But I am surprised to hear again that the plot is brilliant and breath-taking. Everything I say is strictly my opinion, but I can't help to wonder. SPOILER ALERT . . . His plot twist had no effect on me. It repeats the pattern from Agatha Christie's Murder of Roger Ackroyd! For me, it takes away the "wow-effect" and leaves me with bored "ah, here we go again". Apart from that, the discrepancies in the timelines are too revealing. The weather conditions in Theo's stories do not match. He clearly doesn't have time to be obsessed both with Alicia _and_ his wife's infidelity. It is obvious that these two stories are years apart. I realised that Theo was Alicia's stalker when he described his first stalking episode. He admits that he was obsessed with Alicia's painting and her silence, and then he changed his job to treat her? I didn't see any explanation about his motives, and it bothered me from the start. And then he talks about stalking his wife some years in the past. My mind connected the dots, it's not that I am such a smart-ass. It was just too obvious. I was pretty sure about the turnout of the story at that point.

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Sanya, I'm glad to hear it! I know right. If your psychologist was meddling and visiting your relatives without permission that would be enough to get someone fired or at least sue them. Happy to know you had better experiences with psychologists 😉

So happy to come across this review! I'm a psychologist too and had many similar thoughts, honestly it made the book hard to enjoy at times because Theo's behavior was SOOOO unethical. I couldn't stand him!

@LeandaBrooks

2 жыл бұрын

Right?! I mean it makes for a good read and some suspenseful moments but people like Theo would get reprimanded or fired in the first week 😅 It's great to hear that a fellow psychologist had many similar thoughts 🤗

I am currently reading this book and I also work as a psychologist, but not in the forensic field and experience a lot of the same issues you adress here and some more.

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

I would love to hear the other issues that you came across!

Currently reading this book and loving it!

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear it 🥰

Hi Leanda, Great analysis from both perspectives! 🙌 I also read this book and I really enjoyed it, as a bookworm, it was thrilling. Nonetheless, as a psychologist too, I have to agree that maybe a bit more research (even consultation with some experts) would have been good for accuracy in some terms 😉 Thanks for your honest review!

@LeandaBrooks

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Pedro! Thanks. I had a great time making this video. I've also done a psychologist reads The Witcher in which I diagnosed Geralt 😂 tomorrow I'll upload the psychologist reads the Maidens! Did you happen to read that book as well?

@pedrogoncalves345

2 жыл бұрын

You're most welcome, Leanda! Oh, awesome, I need to look for the Witcher video, then! Always ready for a diagnosis! 😁 As for the Maidens, I haven't read it yet, as I am not 100% sure about it. Do you recommend it? 😉 If so, I need to be cautious about your video, tomorrow, not to get too many spoilers!

@LeandaBrooks

2 жыл бұрын

@@pedrogoncalves345 Would I recommend it... well for people who love psychological thrillers and readers of The Silent Patient I would. There are storyline links between the two books, there's a lot of suspense and references to and parts about psychotherapy/group therapy. I mean I think it's a good book but if I compare it to The Silent Patient it's just not it. It just didn't make as much sense and there were a lot of red herring characters 🙃

@pedrogoncalves345

2 жыл бұрын

@@LeandaBrooks Thank you so much for your complete and honest insight! 😀👍 I do love psychological thrillers, so, if I lower my expectations a bit, maybe it will a good read for a time when I need something of that kind 😉

Hello, I just finished the silent patient and although I agree with you that it was a great Thriller, I didn't like the way mental illness was portrayed in parts. Parents were blamed even when the child was in the womb. For example so, although my mother was bipolar, and parts of my childhood were chaotic, when I was a child I was treated very well. I always knew my mother loved me, and that she tried very hard to keep her mental illness in check until she couldn't. Yes I have an anxiety disorder, but I never felt it was all upbringing. Genetic factors play into so many illnesses. For example every one of my female relatives have eating disorders even though we were all raised in different households. What I want to say most is that the mentally ill in this book are depicted as criminals. I do not like this as I am an advocate for mental illness. Thank you for your excellent video. I am also a book tube creator and I started my channel on my 70th birthday. Aloha

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

I totally agree with you. The nature/nurture debat is still ongoing and the outcome is most likely somewhere in the middle. Also nurture is so much more than just the parents. It's also your environment, the socioeconomic status etc. There's a lot of new research indicating that for instance depression can be caused by a deficit. When supplemented its gone. This is of course not always the case, but this goes for a lot of disorders and also proofs that it is certainly not just nurture. In this specific book they are depicted as deviants but they are treated at a forensic institution. This means that they have a criminal record but cannot be held accountable. I agree with you though that rehabilitation wasn't an element at all. Then again that is probably how some people few it. In the end it is fiction and I do hope that people will not view the depiction of mental illness in this book as truth. That's why it's super nice and informative that people like you leave these kind of reactions. So thank you 💙 PS: I'll definitely check out your KZread once the workweek is done!

I was shocked too.

I get a severe anxiety whenever I talk in the presence of an audience or even a few people ( when I know that I have to talk and others are going to listen to what I have to say) and I've tried everything to get rid of it but nothing worked. I don't remember going through something in my childhood that might have led to this condition that I have so I would love to hear a psychologist's opinion on that (if that's possible)

@LeandaBrooks

2 жыл бұрын

I can definitely give you my opinion but keep in mind that this is just an advice that I base on what you've just told me. So I probably don't have all the info. This type of anxiety is quite common and doesn't have to be preceded by a childhood trauma or anything. For some people it is a mental thing. They don't have great self esteem and get so nervous before talking to an audience that it does something to their self worth. They have really negative thoughts and those work as a self-fulfilling prophecy. For that I would recommend cognitive behavioural therapy. If that is not something you recognize and it is only about talking to audiences then I would recommend exposure. Gradually exposing yourself to your fear. You can start real small with just talking to two friends and then expand on that. If the fear is really paralyzing and you have tried everything you could try EMDR. It is a method used for trauma but it could also be used for irrational fears that al affecting ones life. Then there's also just people that know that they dislike or are scared of certain things and try to adjust their environment to their fears. I mean therapy isn't always needed. It could be that you need to give presentations now because you're in school but maybe in a few years you never need to do them again. So therapy isn't always necessary and sometimes you're just allowed to dislike or fear something. Be honest about it to your classmates and tell the teacher. Maybe try to find a different way by showing loads of slides or clips. Hope this helps 🤗

I say I don't like the book because othe way her treatment and his investigation were handled. I'm not a psychologist but have been in the medical field for years. Just comes off as "not handled properly ".

3:11 Kathy was Theo's wife as far as i remember

@LeandaBrooks

2 жыл бұрын

Indeed she was!

Is it okay if I do my literature dissertation on this book ?

@LeandaBrooks

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Sophia of course it is! I made a similar video on the second book by Alex Michaelides The Maidens 🙃

Wow so interesting to hear your insight as a psychologist! :) I'd love more videos like this! It sounds like the author probably should have done a lot more research.... 😅

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks I thought I would try something else 🙃 def not my most watched videos but i really enjoy doing them so I'll pop one in every once in a while. I'm glad you liked it! Yeah a bit more research would've been better. A lot of people felt like the book was more of a movie script than actual reality. But that's ok as well, it's still fiction. I would've liked it to be a bit more credible though 🙃

"The Silent Patient" was a big no for me... Such a bad representation of mental illness and therapy treatment. :( Thanks for talking about the book. You said almost everything that went through my mind while reading.

Sounds like a good read.

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

It definitely is if you're looking for a psychological thriller read!

I knew theo was sus, i was suspecting max, joean felix and finally theo there was a loooot of hints, i just knew theo has some kind of relationship with Gabriel, and i suspected Gabriel was cheating on her from the first time they described him working with beautiful women

Are you satisfied with the psychological reason(The one I cannot write here) given for Alicia's actions?

@LeandaBrooks

2 жыл бұрын

What a great question! I mean heavy traumatised people can dissociate in moments of enormous stress. So it could be an explanation but seeing as Alicia doesn’t show ptsd signs at the time (she seems to be doing just fine and can live/work etc) it doesn’t fully explain her action. This is such a difficult discussion but I’m of the opinion that even though you’ve been through a lot, are traumatised, psychologically ill, you still have a moral compass and a choice. Especially when it comes to pulling a trigger. So my answer is I’m not fully satisfied with the psychological reason. What about you? ☺️

None of the psychologists were ethical and I think that was the point. There were many themes of downplaying her Illness to the point where one of them said she couldn’t kill herself because she was a narcissist. I don’t think the psychiatrists were supposed to be ethical by any means especially considering the plot twist at the end.

@LeandaBrooks

Жыл бұрын

Maybe the writer wanted to show the contrast between patient and caretaker. Nonetheless I never hope someone actually gets treated like that (although I know that in some places there's def a hierarchy model between patients and caretakers).

Hello. I am an English Lit student with an interest in psychology and I am currently researching books for my dissertation. I am looking for books with characters who have narcissistic or psychopathic traits. It would be optimal if they are situated in England or written by british authors. Do you have any suggestions ? Thank u :)

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Ely! That must be such an interesting subject. That's a tough one... I mean the first that springs to mind is The Ten Thousand Doors of January (Mr. Locke) but that a totally different genre... When it comes to psychological thrillers you might try The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell, The Herd by Andrea Bartz or The Daughters of Foxcote Manor by Eve Chase (I'm not completely sure about the last one). Also basically every Jack the Ripper retelling has a character with those traits 🙃 Good luck!!

Y’all mad at Theo I’m mad at Kathy, she started it all

@LeandaBrooks

2 жыл бұрын

That's a good point 🙃 It is where it all started but there's still the way you cope with Kathy's action and some of Theo's responses could be seen as boundaries that you do not cross as in you wouldn't take is that far.

@ivckrxs118

Жыл бұрын

Yeah what she did was horrible but that’s not something to take as far as killing. Theo was obviously mental

@ypanso

9 ай бұрын

Theo could have just confront with Cathy's cheating and be a man and leave her instamead of stalking and bring Alicia to murder Gabriel...

I read this book a few months ago. I did not like it. Just couldn't like it.

@LeandaBrooks

3 жыл бұрын

I'm responding to both your reactions here: I can see where you're coming from. From the perspective of a psychologist I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did as a booktuber. I mean it just didn't feel credible. If those things actually happened at a forensic clinic it would be closed within months lol. A lot have argued that the book feels like a movie script and I get that. It would be highly unethical to go about like Theo Faber did and the chosen treatment is just not an actual treatment. I wish that psychotherapists and psychologists just talked lol. There's so much more to it. Thanks for your reactions Debbie, it's really fun to hear other peoples perspectives 🥰

And Kathy was his WIFE not gf

I think theo had also some screws loose in his mind

@LeandaBrooks

Жыл бұрын

He made some really bad decisions thats for sure. Are you also thinking about a diagnosis? Or you just mean in general?

Why do you pronounce "she" as "se"? It's so distracting. 😅

@LeandaBrooks

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Bristena. If that is meant as constructive feedback thank you. English is not my first language. I hope that you’ve taken something else from this video apart from asking people why they pronounce words in a certain way😅 have a nice day!