Dr Sabina Brennan chats to neurologist Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan in this fascinating episode about psychosomatic illness, psychogenic disorders and mass hysteria.

My favourite books, films and TV shows are mysteries, detective stories and psychological thrillers. As a psychologist I’ve learned not to let the psychological inaccuracies spoil my fiction fun. But I had to do no such thing with Suzanne O’Sullivan’s new book The Sleeping Beauties. Although Suzanne writes non-fiction her books are equally, if not more fascinating and thrilling than any fiction book I’ve ever read.

Suzanne is a detective of sorts who unravels real life mysteries by delving deep into the brain and the social, cultural and psychological factors that can bring about physical symptoms and illness. Suzanne is a neurologist who drew on her 20 year career seeing 1000s of patients to write her first two books - the first 'It’s all in your Head' won the Wellcome prize in 2016, her second 'Brainstorm' explores the intricacies of the human brain through epilepsy and other seizures. 

Suzanne has a rare gift for insightful storytelling which makes her third book The Sleeping Beauties, a wonderful journey of discovery both physically and metaphorically to explore incredible mysterious psychosomatic illness and mass hysteria - from children in Sweden who fall a sleep for years, high school students in NY with contagious seizures and several embassy officials with headache and memory loss following assault by non-existent sonic weapons. The stories are fascinating but what sets this book apart is the ease with which Suzanne lets the reader inside her own brain as she solves these mysteries and wrestles with her own prejudices and the failings of her chosen profession.

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