My 5*****Star Review of: Me & Her: A Memoir of Madness by Australian author, Karen Tyrrell
Once I started reading Karen Tyrrell's story I couldn't put it down. What a brave woman to write a memoir of her mental illness and forced hospitalisation. That takes courage. From what I gather, people experiencing mania are enjoying it and don't think they need help. This memoir gives an insight into the mind of the author, while she's experiencing mania and how she felt about her husband's intervention. Not only will this book help people with bipolar, it will also help their family, friends and colleagues. Though Karen was ill in most of the story, her husband and kids suffered too. Maybe even as much as she did as it went on for a few years. My heart went out to her husband, who was battling a long-term illness of his own as well as caring for his family. What a wonderful man. I hope this book will help to stop discrimination against people with a mental illness. This story story shows they can be productive and determined people as well as being artistic.
Though the story was sad, I laughed a lot while reading it. Karen Tyrrell is a funny lady. I don't know if she was trying to be funny, but some of her thoughts had me in stiches, not to mention her antics and sneaky ways of finding out things. She'd make a great detective. Though she wrote her notes while ill, she knew she wanted to be a writer. The real Karen was in there for the ride too and she wasn't letting anyone stop her from writing. After reading this book, anyone with a loved one suffering from mania would better understand that not all of the things that the patient is doing is part of the illness. The healthy person is still there with goals that are attainable. I love the way she worked out why this happened to her and her determination to publish her memoir. She wrote about her mania, or hyper-mania, but she didn't mention having a deep depression or suicidal thoughts like I've heard can happen with bipolar, though she did suffer from insomnia, anxiety and stress, and did have Post Natal depression years before. Maybe her husband got her the medical help she needed before a deep depression set in.
There's so much information in this book for anyone suffering bipolar disorder. And their families will have a guide of what to do, which is great because it would be hard getting someone suffering from mania to willingly go to a mental health hospital. Karen Tyrell is a genius and I'm sure her story will save many lives. I'd give this book ten stars if I could, but I'm only allowed five. Keep writing, Karen Tyrrell!
To purchase this amazing book on Amazon go: Here
To go to Karen Tyrrell's website go: Here
