Your Book Activity - March 2015

[geordie9]

150 pages left of Needful Things

[Marie H]

This was one of the things I wasn't so keen on, and I agree with what you say - it was as if he said all the right things, but didn't believe them. 

Yes, I have misgivings about reading Reasons to Stay Alive, at the moment I just look at it, but not actually reading it  .

 

I agree, that is unsettling. I haven't read the book, and it is of course his own choice, but I do think if someone has big problems and the doctors recommend a medication, it's worth a shot. My uncle suffered from a major depression when he was a teenager, but my grandparents (his parents) didn't allow him any medication because they believed the devil had possessed their son. My uncle spent many years in a deep dark hole, and it wasn't until he was of age that he started to recover, he was given medication in the end once he was of age and he also spend some time on a 'care farm' (is that a thing in other countries?). I don't know the exact details of the story as neither he nor his parents like to talk about it (I don't think any of them like to think back of those times). I just know these bits from my dad (his brother). My uncle has autism, like I do too, but I don't often see him or talk with him. I do always feel connected with him despite us not seeing each other much, because we have this in common and we don't need to say much to know we feel the same about certain things.

Oh dear, that sounds very sad about your uncle, and how his early years, and major depression   . I'm still feel that Matt Haig doesn't help things by saying that he just decided to stay alive, and that not using medication to treat his depression   . I only had mild depression and had a bad experience of acute anxiety at the same time, but I simply couldn't just 'snap out of it' by choice. I was prescribed low dose of antidepressants, and they help me a lot.

 

While I haven't, and probably won't read this book, from what y'all have posted, it sounds disturbing.  It makes me remember Tom Cruise's diatribe on Brooke Shields taking of meds for her post-partum depression.  Cruise really went nuts on the subject (on Oprah of all things).  

I'm not one to take any medication I don't need, but when I need it, it's done.  If something helps a person to function, they should take the doctor's advice and take it. 

This sort of attitude of Cruise's really doesn't help anyone! But then he hasn't had pregnancy, childbirth or post natal depression, so, maybe he should keep his opinions to himself...but movie stars are in a different world!

 

I think one of the big problems I can share that I had about Reasons to Stay Alive is that some people just need medication.  Not everyone can do what he does and be on the sunny side of things just by doing... Agh!  I can't ruin the book.  But I said what I could in my review.  In fact, I had so many problems with this book, I wrote two reviews: one for me just to vent and one for the board without spoilers.

Yes, I would have loved to simply 'snap out of it' and look at the sunny side of life when I had anxiety and depression!  But I physically couldn't do it by attitude, and by taking low dose antidepressants helped the symptoms of acute anxiety. 

[Marie H]

I'm sorry to hear that you experienced something like that, but I can relate

Thanks! 

I used to think that anxiety was more of attitude problem, but woah!, after I experienced panic attacks and feeling that there was no hope of happiness in the world (I use this as having 'the dementors', because that how it felt, it was very physical) I knew that anxiety was a horrible experience! 

 

Haig likes to cites facts, then gives irresponsible opinions and views on them, IMO. 

 

Edited to add:  I picked The Giver as my new read.

Hmm, I agree with you -  he has so irresponsible opinions, after citing facts. I think he has a bee in his bonnet about Prozac - he mentions that there is almost no evidence that how it works, and for some reason he keep harping about that. I wonder why?He didn't take Prozac, so why does he criticize it? Damn, I am going to have to read that book!   

EDIT - The Giver is such a wonderful book!! In fact it will stay in the mind for a long time   I hope you love this book.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Marie H