Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

13 reviews

krzem's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Antisemitism, War, Violence, and Death

picturetalk321's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Mental illness, Antisemitism, Cannibalism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Excrement, Bullying, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, and Torture

netaliv3's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, Gore, Blood, Antisemitism, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and War

coneyislandslap13's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

This book definitely seems less pedantic and condescending than many which try to tackle the issues of depression and hopelessness in people with logic and grace. Through detailing memorable instances of events throughout his trials in the concentration camps of the Third Reich, he gives reasoning behind people’s need for purpose and motivation, and does so in a way that can relate to victims of such horrific atrocities just as easily as to young children suffering some of the first minor complications they’ve ever had. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Gore, Medical content, Antisemitism, Confinement, Death, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Deportation, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Murder, Racial slurs, Slavery, Physical abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and War

pandaorb's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

2.0

I did not enjoy this in the slightest, but it was a book club selection so I powered through. To start with, I have an incredibly difficult time digesting Holocaust literature. I have been exposed to the horrors that humanity is capable of and dwelling on it any longer does me no good, thus Part 1 of this book was an extremely painful read.
Part 2 was written so differently (and in fact was not added until long after the initial publication) that it may as well have been a different book. The switch in tone and topic was jarring, and from my reading could essentially be summed up as "find religion or at least something to do". The postscript ended up being the most palatable section for me.
Frankl wrote the first draft for Part 1 in 9 days. I wish he had taken more time and integrated the information from Part 2 into Part 1 in order to illustrate any cases of logotherapy at work in concentration camps. 
I don't begrudge the man for sharing his story, and I'm grateful that he found peace before passing, but this particular work did not do for me what it seems to have done for so many others. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Genocide

Moderate: Mental illness and Suicide

Minor: Cannibalism

tctimlin's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

3.0

Part One, where Frankl describes his concentration camp experiences is moving and devastating.  Part Two, where he describes his therapeutic philosophy, is dry and frustrating (I am not at all convinced that just flipping the script for a depressed or ill person is going to magically solve their issues).  He ignores biology in favor of just mentally changing one’s attitude.  The Afterword actually does a better job of explaining his philosophy and showing the optimism behind Frankl’s approach.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Suicide, Grief, Antisemitism, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Torture, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and War

mdwsn27's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Genocide, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, War, Violence, Death, Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Torture

charleshasalibrary's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, War, Physical abuse, Violence, Antisemitism, Suicide, Slavery, and Mental illness

ptitirodactyle's review against another edition

I do recognize the importance of such a book. I found the first part really interesting and enlightening. 

I don’t plan on reading the second part at the moment, because of the criticism that has been brought upon Logotherapy by numerous psychologists and the lack of scientific evidence to support some of the claims. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, Antisemitism, Suicide, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, War, Physical abuse, Slavery, Grief, Death, Deportation, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Genocide, Hate crime, and Violence

spooderman's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, Child death, Torture, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Suicide attempt, War, Confinement, and Violence

Moderate: Self harm, Cancer, Eating disorder, Ableism, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Drug use