For anyone interested in mental health or addictions I highly recommend Dr. Drew Pinsky's new book "Cracked". For me, this books explains as nothing I have ever read or heard the way the brain develops through traumatic events or rather doesn't develop and how doctors go about putting lives back together.

From the book jacket:

"Dr. Drew Pinsky is best known as the cohost of the long-running radio advice program Loveline. But his workday is spent at a major Southern California clinic, treating the severest cases of drug dependency and psychiatric breakdowns. In this riveting book, Pinsky reveals the intimate and often shocking stories of his patients as they struggle with emotional trauma, sexual abuse, and a host of chemical nemeses: alcohol, marijuana, Ecstasy, heroin, speed, cocaine, and prescription drugs. At the center of these stories is Pinsky himself, who immerses himself passionately, almost obsessively, in his work. From the sexually compulsive model to the BMW-driving soccer mom. Cracked exposes, in fast-moving, powerful vignettes, the true scope and severity of addiction, a nationwide epidemic."