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charliebites's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Abandonment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Death, and Alcoholism
char9595's review
4.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Suicidal thoughts
_bailey_reads_'s review
4.0
I found myself relating to a lot of what Haig wrote as well as feeling a semblance of attachment to him as if he was my family member or my friend.
I think this book is great for anyone who is struggling and needing to know they are not alone.
I will say, though Haig claims he is not anti-medication, I found his tone to be the opposite. The reader must keep in mind part of Haig’s illness is he has/had a massive phobia of taking any sort of medication and when he would take medicine he would feel it begin to affect him then start to panic which would make the medicine completely ineffective. I would be mindful of this if you are someone who takes medicine for any sort of mental illness. Additionally Haig kept mentioning that medicine should fix depression and it doesn’t…. And this is my own personal opinion (I am not a doctor or professional psychiatrist)— Medication for mental illness is not supposed to fix you. It is an aid/tool to help you cope more easily. It’s an addition to your coping skills.
Also be advised suicide is talked about throughout the entirety of this book in great detail. It is a very prominent topic. If you are sensitive to that subject this is not for you.
All in all I would say definitely worth the read! It’s important to hear other people’s perspectives and opinions on mental health and to ultimately know know you’re not alone in your suffering. Also just because something works or doesn’t work for Haig in this book doesn’t mean it will or won’t work for you and vice versa!
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Mental illness
Minor: Alcoholism
anastasiamakes's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
devynreadsnovels's review
4.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
notjust_irene's review
4.5
My only gripe is the focus on the fact that he healed without any assistance by professionals and the - sometimes- disdain for medication. For many people, healing without medical assistance can be incredibly dangerous and make the process a lot more arduous than it is.
Graphic: Suicide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
daisymayduck's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
astrangewind's review
2.75
While I do agree that mental illness needs to be destigmatized, I found it difficult to be really engaged with the content of this book. I wanted so badly to really *feel* this book. I came close to empathizing, but I never quite got there, despite the things I've struggled with myself in the past. Aside from that, I don't agree with one of Haig's major arguments - that mental illness has good things to offer, and there is gratitude to be had for that. It's the kind of mentality that stops people from getting better for fear of losing their artistic ability.
After reading The Midnight Library, I am frankly disappointed that Haig's nonfiction lacks the incredible prose of his fiction.
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide attempt and Suicide
farawaydesiree's review
5.0
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
mikaylawood's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Suicide attempt