I've mentioned before that I LOVE non-fiction books, so I hope you are all ready to start indulging in some great reading about amazing people around the world. The two books that I will be reviewing today involve mental health.
Sickened- Julie Gregory
Most people don't know what Münchausen Syndrome is, let alone Münchausen Syndrome by Proxy. Julie Gregory uses her memoir to shed light on a psychiatric disorder that can be damaging in so many ways. Münchausen Syndrome is when an individual craves medical attention and finds ways to make themselves sick or to make others believe they are sick. Click here to read about an extreme case. Münchausen Syndrome by Proxy is when a parent (usually the mother) insists their child is constantly sick and seeks the attention of medical care for their child.
Julie takes you through her troubled childhood and allows you to become emotionally involved with her hardships. It took me a while to get into this book as I was expecting bigger situations to happen faster. When the bigger situations did occur, it almost seemed like it was written to not sound like a climatic point. However, one of my favourite things in this book is how Julie was able to reflect back on her life when she figured out (by a complete fluke) what happened to her as a child. Second to that is how she is able to reach out and help/support others. I was completely shocked by the end of the book and was very inspired by her courageousness.
I don't recommend this book to anyone who has an issue with child abuse. Some of the experiences Julie has had are morbid, shocking and not humane. If you can get through that you will enjoy this book of hard times, good times and overcoming hardships.
Brain On Fire- Susannah Cahalan
This is one of those books that you when you read the first page you know you aren't putting it down. Every word has you hanging on and craving more. The entire time I read this book I was constantly trying to figure out the answers to the question that Susannah was asking to herself, but I had no answers- no one had any answers. Susannah tells about her month of of madness which starts of as possible exhaustion and ends with a solution that was far out of reach for a long time. Not to ruin the book or anything, but she was diagnosed with Anti-NMDA-Receptor: AutoImmune Encephalitis (click the name to learn more!). Essentially this is the immune system attacking receptors in the brain.
The way that Susannah recalls her experience is brilliant. As you read each word you can practically put yourself in her shoes and imagine the pain, confusion and frustration she was going through. I loved that she included photos and quotes from her experience which allows you to connect even more with her. The love and support that is shown throughout this book is extremely touching. I loved knowing that she wrote this book after she was better and that you were able to read about how she is now! To learn even more about Susannah and to see how she is check out her page here! ]
P.S. I would LOVEEEEE to see this turn into a movie, it would be extremely riveting!
Have you read any good mental health books?
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