A safe place to talk openly about mental health & illness
Relationship OCD by Sheva Rajaee is written from the perspective of a therapist who herself has dealt with relationship OCD (ROCD). What a perfect combination! I love that more and more mental health professionals are willing to talk about their own mental health challenges. Throughout the book, the author emphasizes the importance of learning to… Continue reading Book Review: Relationship OCD
Safe, Wanted, and Loved by Patrick Dylan is a memoir about the author's wife's experiences of mental illness, how that affected the family, and the difficult journey in the direction of recovery. The book's powerful opening line is the author's wife, Mia, saying "Pat, I am going to prison." At that point, she was first… Continue reading Book Review: Safe, Wanted, and Loved
Complex Borderline Personality Disorder by Daniel J. Fox is aimed at people who have borderline personality disorder along with a co-occurring mental disorder. It describes how these combinations can present and how to manage them. The co-occurring conditions that it addresses are bipolar disorder, depression, psychosis, ADHD, and PTSD/complex PTSD. The author refers to BPD… Continue reading Book Review: Complex Borderline Personality Disorder
This week, we deviate from the mental health theme to look at Born A Crime, a memoir by Trevor Noah. I've been a fan of Trevor Noah for a while now. I regularly watch his late night show, The Daily Show, and I like his comedy specials on Netflix. Race and cultural differences often come… Continue reading Book Review: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Musings on the Murky Dating and Relationships Terrain is the remarkable memoir #8 from Jacqueline-of-all-trades Marie Abanga, aka MAG. MAG is a lawyer, CBT therapist, motivational speaker, author, and various other things, including Superwoman. In this memoir, the focus is on what she's learned from dating and relationships over the years. As usual, she brings… Continue reading Book Review: Musings on the Murky Dating and Relationships Terrain
The ACT Workbook for Perfectionism by Jennifer Kemp aims to boost self-compassion and improve psychological flexibility using acceptance and commitment therapy. The author is a therapist who has dealt with perfectionism herself, and she incorporates her own experiences to provide examples of the concepts being covered. She had tried cognitive behavioural therapy and didn't find… Continue reading Book Review: The ACT Workbook for Perfectionism
You Don't Look Sick: My Journey With an Invisible Illness by Kristen Dutkiewicz is a memoir recounting her experiences with multiple sclerosis. The book is written in a way that's likely to be useful for people who have MS, people wanting to support someone in their life with MS, and people who are curious to… Continue reading Book Review: You Don’t Look Sick
The Gratitude Explorer Workbook is by Kristi Nelson, the executive director of A Network for Grateful Living, a non-profit organization. I decided to get a copy of this book after seeing a review by Liz on Lemons But No Lemonade Recipe. This workbook has lots of journalling prompts and plenty of writing space. It's visually… Continue reading Book Review: The Gratitude Explorer Workbook
Manic Man: How to Live Successfully with a Severe Mental Illness by Jason Wegner, with a foreword by Dr. Kerry Barnes, is a memoir of a first episode of bipolar mania and subsequent recovery. The book's prologue opens with the author's parents having called paramedics to take him to hospital. It then shifts back in… Continue reading Book Review: Manic Man
The Better Boundaries Workbook by Sharon Martin uses a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach, incorporating mindfulness and self-compassion, to help readers establish boundaries to function better in relationships. The author is a psychotherapist, and if you're into mental health on Pinterest, you've probably come across some of her pins. The book begins with a look… Continue reading Book Review: The Better Boundaries Workbook