I Don't Know Who You Are Anymore: A Family's Struggle With Depression

Rating:
Summary: Be sure to research depression before reading this book!
Review: I'm very disappointed in this book. Instead of being either a book about "a family's struggle with depression," as is the subtitle of this book, OR an informative book about depression and how it affects the depressed person, it attempts to be both, and the facts are not accurate across the board. For instance, Kellie writes, "I allowed myself to get pretty depressed over what had happened (remember, the illness is contagious) but then I began to set certain limits on how far down I would let myself go. I allowed myself to get in touch with my feelings of remorse and self-pity, but dealt with them without getting into the revenge state of mind. I allowed myself to feel bad but I accepted that I was not going to destroy myself over it." First of all, depression is NOT contagious. It is a fact that those living with someone who is depressed are more susceptible to becoming depressed, but it is not contagious. Second of all, a depressed person CANNOT set limits on how far down they will let themselves go. That is the problem with depression, it's a chemical imbalance in the brain that causes a person to be depressed, and they CANNOT just "snap out of it [the depression]."

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book For Significant Others
Review: This book is a compelling story of a family trying to cope with the husband's depression. The true story is told about how this couple struggles to save their marriage and deal with the complications that arise with depresssion. The book was written in 1990, so some of the information about antidepressants has changed a bit. Even so, I found the book addressed all of the feelings that significant others struggle with. There was great information from a counselor's perspective on how to cope with the confusion and distress caused by this illness. It helped me alot. This is not a text book on depression and the opinions and quotes expressed are heartfelt. I found that refreshing. I wanted to read a book from someone who had survived in spite of the devestation depression causes. I would highly recommend this book with a kleenex and a highlighter! I thought it was great.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book For Significant Others
Review: This book is a compelling story of a family trying to cope with the husband's depression. The true story is told about how this couple struggles to save their marriage and deal with the complications that arise with depresssion. The book was written in 1990, so some of the information about antidepressants has changed a bit. Even so, I found the book addressed all of the feelings that significant others struggle with. There was great information from a counselor's perspective on how to cope with the confusion and distress caused by this illness. It helped me alot. This is not a text book on depression and the opinions and quotes expressed are heartfelt. I found that refreshing. I wanted to read a book from someone who had survived in spite of the devestation depression causes. I would highly recommend this book with a kleenex and a highlighter! I thought it was great.