If you have ever wondered what it feels like to be depressed or to have a panic attack – read this book. In it, Matt Haig shares his experience with depression and anxiety and invites you straight into his brain. You sit there with him at the brink of suicide, you hold your breath as he wrestles with his demons and you ache with his pain. He chronicles his years of experiencing depression and anxiety and actually comes to a sort of peace with it, ultimately, seeming to acknowledge that it has led him to feel things more deeply in both directions, whether toward pain or toward joy.
I think this is an important book to read. While nothing can ever really give anyone a perfect picture of what it feels like to have depression – and I’m sure it feels different for each individual who experiences it – this does, I believe, give a vivid, repetitive, and detailed description. There are analogies, lists, comparisons, images, and examples of ways in which the author’s life was impaired by his illness that go beyond what most expect from what we think of depression. His was particularly severe.
And I think it’s important that we as members of our society, such as it is today, familiarize ourselves as much as possible with the symptoms of depression and anxiety because it is, sadly, so prevalent. We need to be aware of how severe it can be, how invisible it can be, and how crippling it can be. We also must learn how to help someone who is suffering with it. There are suggestions in this book, which are quite helpful.
On the negative side, I believe this book was not well edited. I found t grammatically lazy, somewhat repetitive, and missing large chunks of the story. How does Matt actually get better? Just time? When does he get married? And where do the two kids come in? What role do his parents play really in his recovery? There is so much that is glossed over How has he been able to write through the depression? What does he write about?
I like the philosophical tangents – there is a great amount of wisdom and helpful advice for others with depression and anxiety and for those who may be around those who suffer. And I do think this book is an important read. I wish the actual writing had been given a bit more attention…
kindread spirits 