"EXCERPT: I recognise him before I see him: the booming voice of Max Kennedy KC is unmistakable. He's a barrister with bipolar disorder who did a stint - a memorable stint - in Acute before transferring to a private hospital.
He's standing behind bars in a barren room: dishevelled, shirt inside out. His pants are missing a belt and sinking dangerously low below his substantial belly. There's a guy in the cell opposite who looks like he's trying to sleep off last night's bender - I think it's him I can smell, but I can't be sure Max's hygiene is up to scratch either.
'Good heavens,' says Max. 'It's the adorable Doctor Quatro!'
The name he gave me in acute. Apparently I remind him of a rock singer from his teenage years.
'Max . . . have you stopped taking your lithium?'
I feel a moment of therapeutic nihilism. We thought we'd convinced him to stay on the drug that keeps him stable enough to hold onto his job and his relationship.
'Dear doctor, don't despair! Devilishly difficult dilemma: damned if I do and damned if I don't.'
This could take a while.
'Definitely dreadful. Drug doing damage. Careering creatinine killing the kidneys!'
'You had to stop the lithium?' I interrupt Max's affirmative, alliterative - and annoyingly long - reply. 'What are you taking instead?'
'A cocktail, dear doctor, dear doctor, dear doctor. A lavishing of lamotrigine, a steady stream of Seroquel and a dash of diazepam.'
I wonder if he's amping it up to get off the driving charges.
'What were you doing when the police picked you up?'
'Followed the police car through the intersection. All those cars stopped and waiting - I'd have been a fool not to take advantage. Don't think the police liked me getting ahead of them. Malicious prosecution.' Max beams. 'Took the shortcut through the park.'

ABOUT 'THE OASIS': Trainee psychiatrist Doctor Hannah Wright has only just got her head above water in the acute psychiatric ward at Menzies Hospital when she's thrown into the deep end of the outpatient clinic. Keen to develop her skills in talking therapies, she finds herself up against a boss who's focused on medication and a senior colleague with a score to settle.

Hannah's fellow first-years face problems of their on-and-off flame Alex is being bullied, Ndidi's marriage is in trouble, Jon feels isolated and Carey is concerned their autism will be a career barrier.

While Hannah comes under pressure to seek therapy herself to confront a traumatic past, her patients' health issues range from OCD to ice addiction, childhood abuse to the mental impact of ageing, and from bad parenting to bad genes. They all come to the Oasis.

MY THOUGHTS: While trainee psychiatrist Hannah Wright learned heaps in the Acute Unit (her experiences are written about in The Glass House), the work she is doing in the Outpatient Clinic is closer to where she sees her future.

I really like Hannah. I like the way she listens and guides patients to their own conclusions rather than just writing out a script and ushering them out the door. She strikes a nice balance between the two: trying to get to the root of the problem, trying not to return the patient to the same set of circumstances that has contributed to their illness but not afraid to prescribe medication to help alleviate the symptoms or their distress.

The thing about psychiatry is that there are no quick fixes, often no fixes at all, just a maintenance program that keeps the patient as well and as able to take back as much of their lives as possible. It takes a team of people to do this and should involve the family/friends of the patient as much as possible. These are the people who have day to day contact with the patient and who are usually first to notice that things may be going wrong - as long as they are not part of the problem of course! - which they often are.

Kudos to Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion for their accuracy in the portrayal of various mental illnesses and their treatments and for their honesty about the barriers the staff face in trying to care for their patients.

Another brilliant ⭐⭐⭐⭐�� read from this talented pair.

#TheOasis #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHORS: Anne Buist is the Chair of Women’s Mental Health at the University of Melbourne and has over 25 years clinical and research experience in perinatal psychiatry. She works with Protective Services and the legal system in cases of abuse, kidnapping, infanticide and murder.
Professor Buist is married to novelist Graeme Simsion and has two children.

Graeme Simsion lives in Melbourne with Anne, and is a frequent traveller, walker, jogger, and drinker of wine and cocktails. He is active in amplifying autistic voices through books, events and social media and has spoken at autism conferences and seminars.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hachette Australia & New Zealand via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Oasis by Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

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"I was a beta reader and enjoyed it even more than the glasshouse. "

"I was lucky to get my hands on an advanced copy of this book and have just finished it. I thought the Glass House was excellent but this is next level stunning. A book to help us all walk beside those who need compassion, support and options."