Anxiolytics
Aug. 1st, 2013 05:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebeccmeisterSome while back, I encountered an article about using literature as medicine, and made note of a couple of the titles on the list. After finishing Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook and a work of science fiction last week, it was time to hunt for new things to read, so I picked up a copy of A Spot of Bother (Mark Haddon), The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay), and Clara and Mr. Tiffany (Susan Vreeland).
Haddon's book was included on a list of books "aimed at those suffering with mental health issues from anger and anxiety to depression and chronic pain," and I was curious to see what sorts of things were recommended, so I gave it a read. Haddon also wrote The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which I hadn't read, either, in case you needed to place the name.
Well. If you start reading ASOB, you'll quickly discover that one of the protagonists has an anxiety disorder and panic attacks. It has made it clear to me that I've never had either problem, and I'm grateful, because they sound wretched (I have a slightly easier time relating to depression, though I don't think I've ever been clinically depressed).
But I have to wonder - why is the book on the list? I don't think it would be a cathartic read for someone suffering from anxiety; reading it made me feel quite anxious. Perhaps it's to hand to people who just cannot grasp what a panic attack is like, to give them a small clue, or for material for a book club/therapy group to give people common ground for discussion. In contrast, I think there's something to be gained from reading Allie of Hyperbole and a Half's post on depression, which many people have said does a good job of walking through what it's like to be clinically depressed.
Although I like reading to learn things, I'm now more strongly convinced that a person struggling with a psychological disorder needs to manage it with the help of a medical professional, not just with a stack of reading material, fiction or otherwise.
--
But in other, related news - it has been a long, long time since I've had a chance to rip through a book at full speed, staying up late to finish reading it. It's comforting to find that I still remember how to read. Sometimes, when I'm just reading journal articles all day, I start to think I'm utterly verbally incompetent, and the world's slowest reader and thinker.
I am neutral about the book, overall. It was good, and vivid, and well-written, but not mind-blowing.
Haddon's book was included on a list of books "aimed at those suffering with mental health issues from anger and anxiety to depression and chronic pain," and I was curious to see what sorts of things were recommended, so I gave it a read. Haddon also wrote The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which I hadn't read, either, in case you needed to place the name.
Well. If you start reading ASOB, you'll quickly discover that one of the protagonists has an anxiety disorder and panic attacks. It has made it clear to me that I've never had either problem, and I'm grateful, because they sound wretched (I have a slightly easier time relating to depression, though I don't think I've ever been clinically depressed).
But I have to wonder - why is the book on the list? I don't think it would be a cathartic read for someone suffering from anxiety; reading it made me feel quite anxious. Perhaps it's to hand to people who just cannot grasp what a panic attack is like, to give them a small clue, or for material for a book club/therapy group to give people common ground for discussion. In contrast, I think there's something to be gained from reading Allie of Hyperbole and a Half's post on depression, which many people have said does a good job of walking through what it's like to be clinically depressed.
Although I like reading to learn things, I'm now more strongly convinced that a person struggling with a psychological disorder needs to manage it with the help of a medical professional, not just with a stack of reading material, fiction or otherwise.
--
But in other, related news - it has been a long, long time since I've had a chance to rip through a book at full speed, staying up late to finish reading it. It's comforting to find that I still remember how to read. Sometimes, when I'm just reading journal articles all day, I start to think I'm utterly verbally incompetent, and the world's slowest reader and thinker.
I am neutral about the book, overall. It was good, and vivid, and well-written, but not mind-blowing.
