Well Groomed (Paperback)

At age nineteen, Dalia is psychiatrically hospitalized for the ninth time in two years. While inpatient at this renowned Massachusetts hospital, she meets a middle-aged, married psychiatrist, referred to as "the doctor." The doctor expresses interest in treating her and she begins to work with him exclusively for about four years. Their professional relationship quickly evolves into a romantic one. In this memoir, she processes their forbidden love and attempts to pick up the pieces of their affair while managing the symptoms of her illness, bipolar II. She also examines the incorrect medications the doctor prescribed, paired with their erotic relationship, aching to form some understanding of what exactly occurred between them in his offices years ago. This is a hopeful memoir about finding peace through accepting the truth and learning to trust those who are meant to help us during difficult times. It is also about understanding and recovering from various forms of sexual and narcissistic abuse.