Monochrome Days
A First-Hand Account of One Teenager's Experience With Depression?
Published on 16. April 2007
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-0-19-531005-4 (ISBN)
Description
Nearly one in five adolescents experiences the symptoms of major depression before finishing high school. Where once experts believed that this serious mood disorder did not exist in children at all, now we know that depression often first appears in the adolescent years, and can be a long-lasting, recurring, and even life-threatening problem. Cait Irwin was diagnosed with major depression at the age of fourteen, and she nearly lost her battle against the illness before her family intervened and she received expert psychiatric care. Now an adult, Irwin writes of her own experiences and, with the help of science writer Linda Wasmer Andrews, offers practical advice and guidance to adolescents who have recently been diagnosed with depression. In easy-to-understand language Irwin and Andrews incorporate the psychiatric expertise of Dwight Evans, discussing "what doctors know" about depression in adolescents, and demystifying the often confusing science behind the illness. The book also covers difficult topics such as psychiatric hospitalisation, anti-depressant medications, and how to deal with a mental illness at school and at home.
The result is both a compelling memoir and a practical guide that will help to ease the isolation that depression can bring, teaching young people how to manage and maintain their recovery on a daily basis. Part of the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative series of books written specifically for teens and young adults, Monochrome Days offers hope to young people who are struggling with depression, helping them to overcome the challenges of this illness and go on to lead productive and healthy lives.
The result is both a compelling memoir and a practical guide that will help to ease the isolation that depression can bring, teaching young people how to manage and maintain their recovery on a daily basis. Part of the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative series of books written specifically for teens and young adults, Monochrome Days offers hope to young people who are struggling with depression, helping them to overcome the challenges of this illness and go on to lead productive and healthy lives.
Reviews / Votes
"Sometimes, only those who have been in dark places can provide the light for others to get out. Cait Irwin provides a wonderfully clear-eyed and brave look at depression in teenagers, which is so often undiagnosed or shrugged off as 'moodiness.' Without melodrama or self-pity, she takes us through the whole experience, and shows how medication, therapy, love and the creative spark can combine to heal a ravaged mind." -Tracy Thompson, author of The Beast: AJourney Through Depression
"An honest, helpful, and hopeful account of one teen's journey from pain to promise. Monochrome Days takes the mystery out of depression and provides real guidance to teens who may struggle with this illness, as well as to their friends and families."--Reed, MSW, Executive Director, Suicide Prevention Action Network USA
"This book is of great value to people of all ages-however, particularly to adolescents. Cait skillfully manages to make 'fear of the unknown' - so often experienced by teens when diagnosed with depression and other mental illnesses -- a non-issue. This book leaves no stone unturned. While sharing her story, Cait quite effectively combats the stigma and misconceptions so often associated with mental illnesses, especially for teens. She shows that depression
is a real illness with mental, emotional, and physical implications and conveys the enormous importance of early diagnosis and treatment."--Darcy Gruttadaro, J.D., Director, NAMI Child & Adolescent Action Center
"No one can understand the mind of a young adult better than a young adult herself. In Monochrome Days, Irwin uses personal experience and professional insight to arm teens with the tools they need to conquer the beast of depression. The book includes information about the thoughts and feelings teens are experiencing or see their friends experiencing, with suggestions as to how to talk to parents and other trusted loved ones. By conveying this
information by telling her own story, Irwin arms young adults with the most important knowledge of all: that through it all, they are not alone... With so many teens facing challenges to their mental health every day, this book is a must-read for all teenagers and the adults that love them." -Alison Malmon, Founder
and Executive Director, Active Minds, Inc.
"Aimed at adolescents who struggle with mental illness, Irwin's story provides a road map to recovery that she describes as a graph with lots of peaks and valleys, but an overall trend that was heading upward. Her voice is that of an older, wiser friend who empathizes with what depressed teens are going through. Chapters are divided into two sections. InMy Story, Irwin details her personal history with depression. The Big Picture includes more
general information on symptoms, risk factors, treatment, and a Guy's-Eye View sidebar. This format is highly effective for balancing the author's autobiographical perspective with scientific input from her coauthors. Additional features include FAQs and sources for more information."--School Library Journal
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
8pp color insert
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
254 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-531005-4 (9780195310054)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Cait Irwin is an artist and lives in northern Wisconsin. She also serves as a spokesperson for the Suicide Prevention Action Network USA, and is the author of Conquering the Beast Within: How I Fought Depression and Won and How You Can, Too, an illustrated book about depression. Dwight L. Evans, M.D., the medical adviser for Monochrome Days, is the Ruth Meltzer Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine and Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. He is the lead author of If Your Adolescent Has Depression or Bipolar Disorder: An Essential Resource for Parents. Linda Wasmer Andrews is a freelance health and psychology writer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is the co-author of If Your Adolescent Has Depression or Bipolar Disorder: An Essential Resource for Parents as well as the author or co-author of eight other books, including Stress Control for Peace of Mind. Her writing has appeared in magazines such as Self, Parenting and Psychology Today.
Content
Preface; What's In This Book For You?; Why I'm Revisiting the Beast; 1. The Clouds Roll In: Introduction to Depression; 2. The Belly of the Beast; 3. My Last Thread Pulled Apart: Thoughts of Suicide; 4. Eight Days in the Dark: A Stay in the Hospital; 5. Back Among the Living: Medicine and Therapy; 6. Bumps in the Road: Coping in Everyday Life; 7. One Day at a Time: Recovering From Depression