Customer Reviews

The Beast: A Reckoning With Depression

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What hope and comfort the author gives to the depressed person or their loved ones. The author has clearly expressed the suffering one does when they are depressed, often able to put in writing my very own thoughts and fears. This book gives hope of recovery from re-current depression and gives tools that anyone with a mental illness can use, despite the fact that it wasn't meant to be a "this is how to fix your life book". It is the story of one woman and her trials with re-curring depression and how she overcame her "Beast". A must read for anyone involved in mental health or suffering with depression. I keep my copy close at all times to refer to when I feel I have lost hope of ever being "well". If you feel the same I would strongly encourage reading this book.

Although not as poetic as Styron, funny as Manning or star-studded as Conkrite in their wonderful depression accounts, The Beast occupies a unique niche because of the author's brutally honest account of her low self esteem and acceptance-starved pysche that existed in spite of her career successes. I felt Ms. Thompson had looked inside my brain and revealed to me things I had never even admitted to myself.

Yes, depression is an illness, with biological as well as psychological roots. But, while I would like to think of myself as an innocent victim of depression, it is closer to the truth to admit that I have held to incorrect perceptions since childhood that may have pre-disposed me to this illness. Ms. Thompson has accepted that painful fact about herself, and has shared it to our great benefit.

I have read many books on Depression and other mental health problems since the summer of 1993 and this is the best that I have read yet. I would highly recommend it to anyone that either suffers with, or knows someone who suffers with Depression. The way Ms. Thompson has written this book really hits home for me and it was inspiring to know that there are people who have overcome this terrible disease and are successful at their chosen careers. IT IS THE BEST, THANK YOU MS. THOMPSON FOR SHARING YOUR STORY.

Tracy Thompson's personal story of her lifelong struggle with Depression was extremely enlightening to me. A close friend of mine has been suffering through bouts of Depression during most of her life. While I knew instinctively there was something drastically wrong at times, I never fully understood the pain and anguish she was coping with until I read Tracy's story. While portions were very unsettling to read, it was heartwarming to see Tracy finally coming to grips with The Beast (her term for severe Depression) and understanding it's power. Throughout the book I saw incredible similarities between Tracy and my friend's behavior. I now can relate to what my friend has been going through, and understand why she behaved as she did from time to time. I also gained the respect that The Beast is a formidable force to be reckoned with. However, thanks to modern science and pharmacology, it appears that the taming of The Beast is a possibility for many who suffer from it's unrelenting grasp. This book is a must read for both those who are suffering with severe Depression AND those who care about a loved one who is dealing with this debilitating disorder.

This is a fascinating first-person account of grappling with a lifelong pattern of depression. Tracy Thompson is tough and honest in looking at herself. She fearlessly searches to find out why this happens to her and what she can do to stop it.

With her training as a journalist, she turns an objective eye on herself. It is this honesty that gives the book its strength. The portrait she paints of herself is not flattering. She sees the manipulative and deceptive behavior that she carries on in an effort to keep others near her, to secure herself from falling into another episode of depression.

We watch her growth and her setbacks. We go along with her to therapy and to the hospital. It is not an easy book to read; it is painful at times, but it is also a remarkable achievement.

I have suffered from a low-level, but chronic and debilitating depression for over 14 years. I, at times, grieve over those lost years of my life. Medication and occasional therapy have seemed to work for me, however, and I'm finally living. Yet, it is difficult as I struggle to change my patterns of thinking and behaviour. Which brings me to the book: this book was and is a god-send. She described so eloquently and precisely what the beast is about, how it devastates and how we learn to cope with it. Unfortunantly, these coping mechansims don't work well with the rest of the world. She confirmed many of the thoughts and feelings I have had and taught me new ways to cope. She has given my family and loved ones a new understanding of me that I could not convey because (thankfully for them) they had no clue what I was dealing with. Reading this book has literally been a turning point in my life, she has inspired, coached and encouraged me to start again, to try again, and I am greatful beyond words.

An honest book from the heart written without gimmicks, sleaze, etc. like the usual self-help and avante garde illness-type book. The prose is excellent (it is no wonder the author was able to succeed in a successful job in journalism, despite her illness, VERY TALENTED); the book is very absorbing not boring, and offers very sound ideas about dealing with the worst of negative feelings; it was uncanny how it hit home. I recommend it highly to anyone for themselves or a loved one going through depression. This book will be remembered for a long time.

when i read i have this tendency to underline or highlight phrases and words that strike me. reading this book i eventually had to give up on the note-taking, because otherwise the entire book would have been highlighted! i saw myself in nearly everything tracy went through. it helped me to understand things about myself that i wasn't even aware of. the periods of being "fine" in between the depression, the way it would sneak up on her, the way all motivation to work or function would just fly out the window, the way a person could seem perfectly "normal" to everyone around her and yet inside be a complete mess. all i want to say is thank you!

For many, many years, I suffered terribly from depression, a tradition in my family. I was finally diagnosed a few years ago, and now take medication that enables me to live a normal life. Even so, this book gave me powerful insight into The Beast. I saw myself on every page. There were elements of this disease that I wasn't able to see until I read this book. (Like the fact that I was lying to myself and others about having the disease.) Reading it, I had "aha" after "aha." Since then, I have told three people - my friends - about what I go through and what I have been through. That's a big step for me. If you can't sleep, or if you sleep too much; if you aren't in counseling because you're afraid you'll be committed; if you are in agony but you think "everybody" lives this way and just handles it better than you; if you don't want to live like you live anymore; if the anxiety is like a sock in your throat; if you feel like "nobody" could understand, please buy this book. It will help you. If you know or love someone who you think may be suffering from this disease, I recommend reading it. It will help you understand why they are doing what they do and may help you help them.

Unlike some authors of depression memoirs, Tracy Thompson is brutally self-aware and isn't afraid of sharing her less than flattering experiences with a mood disorder. Especially, since she is a journalist and in the public eye (as I am, but to a much lesser degree), I admire her bravery for "coming out of the closet" so to speak. As she (and I) found there are a LOT of people out there grappling with a mood disorder and taking medication (cracks about Prozac notwithstanding).

The book is unique because Thompson shares her unglamorous but effective tools for dealing with depression (after therapy and medication have been established). I, too, suffer from horrible perfectionism and it was heartening to read that this writer was able to overcome at least some of it and go on to have the life she wanted. Sharing the messy side of depression isn't what makes this book different, but that the author was able to take a long, honest look at herself and begin to make steps toward change was. Bravo.