The Beast: A Journey Through Depression
by Tracy Thompson
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Book Summary Information
Author: Tracy ThompsonEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1996-10-01
ISBN: 0452276950
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Plume
Book Reviews of The Beast: A Journey Through Depression
Book Review: brings the human dimension to the disease
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an extraordinary book which moved me deeply. Kudos to Ms. Thompson for having the courage to share her life with us, especially since there is still a stigma to having mental illness in our culture. Until I read THE BEAST I had never read a personal account of what it is like to have depression. Ms. Thompson allowed us to see her day-to-day struggles that depression causes, the affect it had on her work, and on her personal relationships. These are things no doctor can convey to a patient. Presented are the human aspects of the disease which I never read in any book or article about depression before. Everything I read on depression up till this book had been sterile, clinical, totally unemotional, totally "unhuman," and hard to relate to as a patient. To hear the patient's voice, concerns and pain - a blessing! A remarkable book. Read it more than once for additional doses of strength and courage to fight your own way thru. The second book I read that told about mental illness from the patient's point of view is the incredible, but very different, journey of Kay Redfield Jamison in the exquisite "An Unquiet Mind." I can not recommend this book highly enuf. Although Jamison's journey is thru manic-depression/bipolar illness, her book is for anyone braving it thru any form of mental illness too. She takes us thru the time leading up to her "episode," the progression of the illness as it becomes more severe, her recognition of what she has to deal with. She too allows us to hear her internal voices, feel her pain and anguish, share her incredible ups and downs as the disease plays havoc with her. And she shares her fear of loosing her career if anyone finds out that she has the condition. And yet Dr. Jamison, yes Dr. Jamison, M.D., had no place else to go than the very people she works with every day: her fellow psychiatrists and doctors, and fellow faculty members at UCLA medical school. So here we have the patient as doctor, the doctor as patient. Even as she is able to tell us her personal history of struggle, she is also able to gently explain what has clinically happened to her; and she shares her search for, if not a cure, medical relief and a full purposeful life. Both of these books by women are truly amazing!! If you or someone you know is suffering with a mental illness, read these to find out what is happening to you or your somebody. You will not regret it I can assure you. GOOD MENTAL HEALTH to us all.
Summary of The Beast: A Journey Through Depression
A reporter for "The Washington Post" describes her life-long struggle with depression, recounting her painful efforts to comprehend and treat her illness.Women Books
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