Unholy Ghost: Writers on Depression

Rating:
Summary: "UNHOLY GHOST" - AN ABSOLUTE GEM OF A BOOK
Review: "Unholy Ghost" is an exceptional collection of beautifully written and oftentimes disconcerting essays by gifted writers who are wonderfully & bravely candid in the illumination of their terribly painful direct & indirect private experiences with mental illness.
It is not difficult to figure out how the title of the book was derived. Even before page 1, an excerpt taken from the poet Jane Kenyon - "Having it out with Melancholy" - (recited below), becomes a tool that forces the reader from the very beginning into a vastly different and certainly necessary saturnine frame of mind; necessary because it helps to see the writing as more than just the ranting of a crazy artist(s). So be warned: if you're seeking emotional detachment, read no more.

"Pharmaceutical wonders are at work
But I believe only in this moment
of well being. Unholy Ghost,
you are certain to come again.

Kay Jamison, an authority on, and herself a sufferer of Bipolar Disorder, author's the brief introduction. Dr. Jamison see's "[the essayists'] struggles' to define and describe depression [as] the most important process for the reader(1). I humbly concur, adding only that integral to "definitions" and "descriptions" are the discussions that focus on the fascinating, oftentimes frightening, and always very real emotional perspectives based on experiences. Herein the authors' use the written word as the medium with which to tackle such cogent issues as: the role of guilt/emotions in illness, the process of evaluating psychotropic medications (social, medical and ethical considerations [and even ECT as an option]), the search for the right form of therapy, the maintenance of relationships through the awful upheavals that go hand-in-hand with any severe mood disorder, the tortorous decision to accept hospitalization, and the list goes on.

Admittedly, many of the pages do not paint a rosy picture, and for every success, there are those sickly sad souls for which the process of suffering and lengthy treatment do not allow some such people to emerge anew. Nevertheless, between the lines, there is an inherent sense of hope if one looks hard enough. For the sake of brevity, suffice to say that mental illness requires strengths & commitments that are delineated in this book.
Perhaps most important, by taking the experiences of "real people," by the last page the reader may experience a double epiphany: (1) first epiphany - mental illness is very common and those who have it should take refuge in the knowledge that you are not alone, and that the illness can be overcome; and (2) second epiphany - hard work and due diligence is an integral part of recovery and at the end of the day, is the responsibility of the patient (it is not your doctor's responsibility).

Don't be fooled - this is not a self-help book. It relies on experience to provide knowledge. It is not a literary pill that you swallow the way you might swallow a diet product. Instead, it's a set of stories that promise entertainment, some laughs, some tears and even a few gems of wisdom. Once you pick the book up, you'll never want to put it down. However, in so doing, understand that with those gems of wisdom come some awful truths.
The book consists of twenty-two essays (three of which are excerpts from earlier works). Each shared experience is unique, is written by people from all walks of life, and is terribly compelling. As you proceed, don't be surprised to find yourself saying, as I often did "I know exactly how the author feels." "My gosh!I've been in that very situation," or even "I know someone exactly like that. I wonder if --."
"Unholy Ghost" leaves no emotional stone unturned. Indeed, each author has a clear point to make. Virginia Heffernan (for example) who battered severe depression, uses her essay "A Delicious Placebo," as her medium with which to judge herself (albeit, somewhat harshly) - "How did I turn from a talkative batgirl child into a stifled, abstracted monster (12)?" David Karp, an erudite professor uses "An Unwelcome Career" to challenge traditional psychodynamic psychotherapy. He asserts: "[a]fter several tempts to find a savior, I became tired of recounting my biography and fundamentally dubious about the efficacy of talking as a solution (144)." Martha Manning, like Karp, also attacks traditional approaches to psychotherapy. She argues in "The Legacy" that "I had placed most of my emotional cards on the table, but was disappointed that my therapist still hadn't constructed some brilliant framework in which my difficulties could be finally uncovered and my dysfunction excised (257)."
In "Bodies in the Basement," author Russell Banks discusses the personal challenge of dealing & trying to understand his wife's severe deppressions's. His initial misconceptions about mental illness seem very much commonplace. To this end, he asserts in his essay "...I assumed that my wife's personality [mood disorder] originated in her attitude, her view of the world, and was therefor pretty much under her control (32)." By the end of the essay, Banks makes a fundamental transition, and in the process, comes to recognize that his wife's illness "...which went, not with her choice of spouse or diet or job or residence, but with her brain chemistry (36)."
As I conclude, I hope I have conveyed to you [the reader] that this book of essays is a "must-have" if either you, or someone you care about suffers from some form of psychiatric illness; and for those who are fortunate enough to live without such disorders, it is still a "must-read," if for no other reason than it is entertaining and fascinating at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: Compassionate, but not Uplifting
Review: As a counsellor, I am continually searching for inspirational and self-help material that I can refer to those individuals looking for self-help books. "Unholy Ghost" is comprised of essays written by those having suffered from or living with depression. The stories tell of problems with medication, how depression has affected interpersonal relationship skills, and speak honestly of the pain, agony and isolation felt. For some depression is a relatively short-lived experience that happens due to some sudden loss or tragedy. For others, it is a life-long battle often with peaks and valleys, but nonetheless ever present. Depression can happen to anyone. Fame, prominance, wealth, social class, career, education, marital status, children, age - they have nothing to do with it.

There is no question living with depression can be devastating for both victims and families. I have counselled individuals with depression and seen, first-hand, the havoc, inner turmoil, sadness and pain depression can cause. While these stories may be comforting to some with this affliction, there was truly nothing inspirational, motivating or encouraging about the book or the manner in which it was written. If you are not feeling depressed when you begin the book, there is a good possibility you will be by the time you reach the final page. The book DWELT on depression, and WAS depressing! For this reason, the book rated only a two star. Those two stars were given on the assumption that it may help others to realize they are not alone. As for the actual content, I would encourage anyone interested in self-help books to read those that are more inspirational, encouraging and constructive. Believe me, there are many excellent books in the marketplace written by qualified professionals which should help you attain a more insightful, positive outlook.

Rating:
Summary: A great read whether you suffer from depression or not
Review: I was thrilled with "Unholy Ghost". It takes up where Styron's "Darness Visible" left off (a book that is excerpted in the collection). The essays in this book deal with the effect of depression on both the afficted and those around them (with essays from both parties). Many are eloquently written, and offer hope for recovery, or at least a sense of survival (and even vitality and productiveness)despite the illness. I particularly enjoyed the Lauren Slater essay on her struggle between medication compliance and harming her unborn child from the possible side effects from her psychotropic meds. It is a "literary reference guide" to dealing with depression.

Rating:
Summary: A Welcome Anthology
Review: If you are seeking a "Chicken Soup for the Depressed Soul" brimming with uplifting stories, this book is not the source.

Unholy Ghost reflects the ordeal of depression via the perspectives of those coping with it. The DSM-IV provides a skeletal structure for understanding the diagnosis. These essays add flesh to the framework. The reader is given an opportunity to intimately connect with each writer's experience of anguish. Some might criticize these essays as self-absorbed and declare the writers to be imperfect. Well, that's the point. This book is about personal involvement, revealing humans who try to genuinely articulate their journeys. Among many viewpoints, the reader will grapple with the issue of taking medication while pregnant, what it is like to be an African American woman who is depressed, how one person's "failed" suicide led to a reckoning with life, trying to understand the heritability of depression, and the general strange reality of living with this heavy companion.

This book does not contain answers. It is ponderous and sometimes disconsolate reading. What it does is invite the reader to walk alongside each writer and learn vicariously what depression can be. As a person who lives with major depression and dysthymia, I was fascinated by these voices and heartened by their company. As a psychotherapist, these essays will be a valuable tool for me in educating people about the dimensions of depression.

Rating:
Summary: not too impressed
Review: If you are seeking a "Chicken Soup for the Depressed Soul" brimming with uplifting stories, this book is not the source.

Unholy Ghost reflects the ordeal of depression via the perspectives of those coping with it. The DSM-IV provides a skeletal structure for understanding the diagnosis. These essays add flesh to the framework. The reader is given an opportunity to intimately connect with each writer's experience of anguish. Some might criticize these essays as self-absorbed and declare the writers to be imperfect. Well, that's the point. This book is about personal involvement, revealing humans who try to genuinely articulate their journeys. Among many viewpoints, the reader will grapple with the issue of taking medication while pregnant, what it is like to be an African American woman who is depressed, how one person's "failed" suicide led to a reckoning with life, trying to understand the heritability of depression, and the general strange reality of living with this heavy companion.

This book does not contain answers. It is ponderous and sometimes disconsolate reading. What it does is invite the reader to walk alongside each writer and learn vicariously what depression can be. As a person who lives with major depression and dysthymia, I was fascinated by these voices and heartened by their company. As a psychotherapist, these essays will be a valuable tool for me in educating people about the dimensions of depression.

Rating:
Summary: Uneven but mesmerizing in spots
Review: Taken as a whole this collection of meditations on depression from writers can be a bit much, but the better writers in the bunch have produced some really gripping accounts of their, and their loved one's, battles with depression. The poems by Jane Kenyon scared the living daylights out of me, they were so frighteningly close to home.
Donald Hall's companion piece was moving and honest, as well.
Some of the authors tend toward academic blah-blah and others, such as the overrated Darcey Steinke, seem to be showing off rather than sharing.
Not light reading, but worth the nerve it takes to get into it.

Rating:
Summary: Helpful, very real
Review: This book looks to give a variety of perspectives and there are a few quality writings, notably William Styron, but on the whole these authors share little new insight into the illness and the feelings around it. It is mostly badly written, self indulgent and uninspiring. It left me as depressed as i already was, if not more.

Rating:
Summary: not too impressed
Review: This collection could best be described as a mixed bag. Some essays are penetrating, insightful and well-written; others are in need of editing - they read more like a magazine piece, a draft of one that is. There are many dead-on descriptions of what it is like to exist (you don't exactly "live" during depression) with a mood disorder. However, the essays are long on description - however well done - and short on conclusions. Though this isn't necessarily a drawback, depression being such an intensely self-absorbed ailment to have - the writers draw no or few parallels between their mood disorders and the bigger world out there. And warning - few end on a very positive note, though again it is probably dense to expect otherwise. But this does make for a very claustrophobic reading experience. Just don't read during a deep depression, and you'll be okay.

Rating:
Summary: A book for anyone who doesn't "understand" depression..
Review: What's nice about this survey (or any survey) is that you're bound to find half the essays good and half bad with one or two essays that are spot on. Personally, I think the key to enjoying this book is to skip the sections that you don't click with -- though I have to say I wanted to skip the exerpt from A Savage God and I'm glad I didn't.

This book is also interesting if you're a writer since it offers so many different writing styles. Sort of reminds me of an episode of, I think, Sesame Street in which two painters rendered the same tree. Here, different writers render their own version of a similar emotion, depression. Definitely worth reading.