Weekends At Bellevue

Weekends at Bellevue depicts the life of a psychiatrist working in the emergency psych ward of Bellevue Hospital, in New York City. Before working at Bellevue Hospital, Dr. Julie Holland M.D. studied at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Temple School of Medicine. She turned down a full-ride to Columbia University’s medical school, so she could work her dream job as an ER psych. Julie Holland’s weekends at Bellevue Hospital are filled with psychotics, sociopaths, and criminals. She does a wonderful job at making her story personal and close to the reader.

One of the main things I noticed about Holland’s book is her varied chapter lengths. One chapter may be half a page, while the other is seven pages. I saw this as representation of her patients arriving at the ER. Some people are “O.T.Ds” (Out the Doors) or others come in the ER and are admitted for months. She never knows what she is going to get. Her writing is rushed, and sometimes it seems like she just needed to stop writing, for whatever reason. Her life at Bellevue was rushed, and she could never predict what was coming at her.

Not only does Dr. Julie Holland make it clear that she has a career at Bellevue, but she makes sure the reader knows that Bellevue is her life. Her story is obviously about her profession, but it is also about her personal relationships at the hospital. She is and writes in a straight forward, no bullshit way. Holland tells it like it is, to both the patient and the reader. Weekends at Bellevue gives people perspective on the world and how people’s emotions differ. Even a psychiatrist like Holland needs to talk to another psychiatrist to make sure she is not falling off the path after dealing with haunting events each weekend.

After nine years at the Bellevue ER, Holland’s profession does not get old. Throughout the story, there have been look-a-like incidents (people committing the same crime, or attempting suicide the same way), but still, it does not bore the reader. Holland is not afraid to describe the most graphic events that happened at Bellevue. For instance, the reader gets to hear all about a man who sticks a razor blade up his you know what in attempt to kill himself. Not only has Holland seen gruesome things, but they have happened to her. She tells stories about her being punched and stalked by patients and even co-workers.

Holland’s autobiography not only depicts her life working at one of the busiest psych wards in the nation, but it also tells the story of the “HP” (hospital police). She is constantly in communication with the police and she describes her relationship with the people who bring her patients. The police are there to protect her and keep her out of harm’s way, and it is clear that when crazy people are taken to Bellevue, she needs protection.

Weekends at Bellevue gives people the sense that they are not alone. There is such a thin flimsy barrier between sanity and insanity. So many things affect people and tragedies affect people differently. A sick friend, a drug overdose, or the loss of a child can all defect that loose line. This autobiography is partly, I believe, a confession. Holland can be described as narcissist, and she knows it. She feels badly that she talks harshly to patients, but she does not change her ways. But she wants people to know that she has a heart and genuinely cares about her patients, whilst being a hard-ass.

Dr. Julie Holland’s memoir is an easy read, but definitely should not be read by children. While the reading is easy and simple, her story is not, and can get intense at moments. There are depressing moments of her life, such as having a cancer-stricken friend and 9/11, but they are undoubtedly great moments to read.

Weekends at Bellevue is a must-read for anyone, even if you have no interest in psychiatry. It is an eventful memoir and you will not be able to put it down. Holland goes all out when telling her story of nine years at a Manhattan hospital. She tells the saddest, scariest, and most psychotic of stories, but makes sure there is laughter all throughout the story. She has a sarcastic sense of humor, and it definitely shows in this story.