Animal Madness by Laurel Braitman Summary
Overview of Animal Madness
Discover why animals suffer mental illness just like us. Braitman's journey, sparked by her anxious dog Oliver, reveals surprising parallels between human and animal psychology. Can understanding elephants in recovery and compulsive parrots help us heal our own emotional wounds?
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Key takeaways
When a Dog Jumped Four Stories and Survived
Oliver plunged from a fourth-floor window and landed on concrete-yet walked away without a single broken bone. This Bernese Mountain Dog seemed perfect when he first arrived: affectionate, gentle, well-behaved. But the moment his owners left, he transformed into a creature possessed by panic. He'd howl, destroy furniture, pace frantically. The separation anxiety became so unbearable that he chose a four-story drop over being alone. His survival sparked a question that would reshape how we understand animal minds: If animals can suffer psychological breaks severe enough to drive them toward self-destruction, what does that reveal about the emotional landscape they inhabit? This incident launched an exploration into a hidden world of animal mental health-a realm where elephants grieve themselves to death, dolphins may choose to stop breathing, and gorillas need Prozac to cope with captivity. The journey challenges a comfortable fiction we've maintained: that psychological suffering is uniquely human, that consciousness and emotion are our exclusive domain.
Darwin's Revolutionary Insight: Emotions Across Species
The Mirror of Our Times: How We've Labeled Animal Distress
The Diagnostic Puzzle: Reading Minds Without Words
Captivity's Psychological Toll: The Price of Confinement
The Pharmaceutical Revolution: Medicating Distress
The Healing Power of Connection and Forgiveness
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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