Conquering the Beast Within: How I Fought Depression and Won . . . and How You Can, Too [Paperback]

Cait Irwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1999

For anyone in the clutches of the frightening beast that is depression, this book can help. In vivid words and images, Cait Irwin shares her own compelling story: how she struggled with clinical depression at age fourteen, was hospitalized, sought therapy, found the right medication, and successfully made the long, arduous climb back to good health. This powerful volume shares an inspirational message with all who are waging their own battles with depression: There is a way out.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"In our minds stalks a beast... a cruel, mean and wicked beast." So begins Cait Irwin's gentle guide to conquering depression--a book she began as a young teenager after being hospitalized for suicidal tendencies. Writing the book was part of her healing process, and she hopes reading the book will help others regain their mental health.

Irwin tells her story of how the "beast" of depression gradually took over her life, accompanying simple yet eloquent text with her own comic-style drawings. These honest sketches, packed with feeling (and surprisingly, humor), in combination with her frank account--set in type resembling handwriting--lend to the sense that Irwin is letting us read her journal. We witness how hard the struggle was for her, through psychological symptoms such as paranoia, frustration, and stress, and the physical manifestations of lack of appetite, blurriness of vision, and exhaustion. But we also see how she climbed out of the pit--the snarling beast first leashed, then muzzled, then reduced to a tiny speck--with the help of her family, doctors, and carefully calibrated medication. Irwin may be young and she may not have a medical degree, but she offers depressed readers something extremely valuable: the wisdom and compassion that comes with experience. --Brangien Davis

From School Library Journal

-This is the account of the author's battle with depression, which began when she was 13 years old. It is written like a child's storybook, complete with scary beasts and drawings by the author, yet is deadly serious. Its strength is that Irwin portrays depression as an illness, not a sign of weakness. And as an illness, it is curable. She describes it as a "Hungry Beast" that devours all of the good feelings; the beast becomes stronger than the person, who suffers physically, mentally, and spiritually. In the battle to shrink it, she describes the route to recovery and explains a process that involves medication, therapy, and possible hospitalization. But more than that, the author tells readers the things they must remember as they "climb to mental wellness" and how to "fill the empty spaces." This book is a must for anyone who is afflicted by depression; fellow sufferers will gain courage and family members will find hope knowing it is possible for their loved ones to regain life.
Sheila Barry, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (September 8, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812932471
• ISBN-13: 978-0812932478
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Tool for Counselors, December 9, 1999

By 

M. Hadfield "Miss Missy" (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conquering the Beast Within: How I Fought Depression and Won . . . and How You Can, Too (Paperback)

A co-worker recommended Cait's book to me. I have since bought two copies, one to give to my 10 year-old client fighting severe depression and one for myself to use with other clients. Co-workers and I have found that children love this book, with its wonderful illustrations and its use of the beast as analagous to depression. Children enjoy creating their own book on depression and the whole process is wonderfully therapeutic. (But even adults will appreciate it!)

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Grail for Peer Counselors, June 27, 2000

By 

Sho J. Morimoto "aresdracon" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conquering the Beast Within: How I Fought Depression and Won . . . and How You Can, Too (Paperback)

Ms. Irwin's book definitely is not a technical guide to depression with all its "sub-types," but the diary-like style without a doubt makes the reader connect with her struggle with and eventual victory over the terrors of depression. The book is useful for all ages, as the illustrations draw in the attention of any audience: child, adolescent, or adult. The very personal and individualistic nature of her writing as well as the blunt honesty of her family members who share their thoughts at the end convinces one of her earnesty and commitment. True, it may not give you specific information that a more technical work might contain, but the emotional comfort the book provides more than makes up for it, at the very least as a supplement to those requiring facts or to those who need an immediate "anchor" to sustain hope. The extensive and thorough list of mental health resources at the very end (complete with web addresses for those who are too shy for direct, personal contact) is an invaluable component of the book and supercedes any other list that I've seen in other works concerning mental health.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Conquering The Beast Within, September 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Conquering the Beast Within: How I Fought Depression and Won . . . and How You Can, Too (Paperback)

The words in this book could have been taken out of my heart. My eyes widened as I read because these were my exact feelings. I am way, way past my teen years but what Cait wrote about is what I have lived through the past years. Cait, you have given us a gift with this book. The next time I see my psychiatrist I will give him this book so he can better understand. The pages say what I could never express.