Fragile Minds

Stories from an NHS mental health ward

By: Bella Jackson

Narrated by: Emma Fryer

Brought to you by Penguin.

Beautifully wrought and staggeringly urgent , Fragile Minds documents Bella Jackson's time as a trainee mental health nurse, and the devastation and hope she encountered in winding corridors and behind locked doors.

There is a narrative we’ve become comfortable with: Mental health services are underfunded and understaffed. But that is only half the story. The other half is messy and confronting; uncomfortable enough to make us look sharply away.

It is the story of the staff who believed they could make a difference, but were worn down by morally ambiguous tasks, impossible workloads and a systemic resistance to change. It is the story of the patients who are failed by hastily made diagnoses, overreliance on medication, coercion, stigma and inconsistency of care, and of the inspiring individuals struggling for justice and revolution.

With compassion and care Bella introduces us to a vivid cast of staff and patients, prompting us to look closer, ask questions and demand more for them.

"I loved this book. Its power is giving a real insight into a world that many of us are unfamiliar with but that we need to understand."
CHERRY HEALEY

"Beautiful and compelling, often distressing but ultimately hopeful."
PROFESSOR JIM LUCEY, Mental Health Commission IE

"This book will rock your complacency towards how we understand and treat mental health..A must read for anyone concerned about our whole society’s wellbeing."
TESSA McWATT, author of Shame On Me

"Sensitive and powerful. Bella Jackson tells incredible human stories with wisdom and insight. This is a very compassionate book. One that opens up a righteous anger at a system that's failing."
PROFESSOR SIMUKAI CHIGUDU author of upcoming When Will We Be Free?

© Bella Jackson 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critic reviews

A painful revelation of harsh truths and a call to do better.