Review Of Prozac Nation By Elizabeth Wurtzel

The reviews of Prozac Nation is mixed. Though there were people who said that this book was overly dramatic and selfish, some said tharityurtzel weren’t so exasperatingly sympathetic to herself, then maybe they would feel more sympathy. But to me, this book was relatable. With Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, and the dark humour of Bob Dylan’s song, I find her writing luminescent and powerful. Sylvia Plath, a new favorite poet of mine, helped me through dark times. Not reading this book means that I wouldn’t have heard of Sylvia, and I wouldn't have read her poems, nor relate to them. I read this book when I was depressed, I was stuck with self-hatred and started hurting myself whenever I felt anxious. But there words, sentences, phrases in this book that seemed to speak to me. They helped me understand what this weird, empty feeling I was going through. Reading the book, I knew that I wasn't the only one suffering, there' s so many people out there, but I don' t know if they have read this book. But I know that if they do read this book, they would know that depression can be cured.

I fell in love with this book, just as Wurtzel fell in love with her depression. There were quotes that I loved, and kept in mind at most times, it helped me stop the noises that told me that I' m never going to be good enough, or the so-called "black wave" A quote that I always keep in mind: "In a strange way, I had fallen in love with my depression. " It's paradoxical. How do you fallin love with your depression? How masochistic should you be to be able to love it? There were endless nights when I cried myself to sleep, there were days when I wanted to just stay in bed, wanting to fall in a deep sleep for a really long time. I suffered this much, but somehow, just like Elizabeth said, I fell in love with my depression. It stayed so long that it became a part of me, and one day it went away, and I then felt empty. I wasn't used to the fact that I wouldn't be crying every night anymore, that I wouldn't have to hide in the bathroom and hurt myself anymore. Depression somehow shaped me into someone who uses humor as a self-defense mechanism, I became nihilistic. It may seem ironic, but depression gave me a good sense of humor. I looked down on myself, thought I was never good enough, by doing this, it made me have less expectations. I wouldn't have to be disappointed anymore, I wouldn't have to expect too much, cause what' s the point? This mental illness changed everything about me, and as paradoxical as it sounds, it changed me for the better.

This book means so much to me, I have read this twice, and reading it the second time feels just like the first. Whenever I think of Prozac Nation, all the memories, all the suffering comes back to me, and it brings tears to my eyes. Depression left me one day, and I'm thankful for that. I' m grateful for this book, reading it was just like reading my own thoughts, it speaks to me in a spiritual way. The author of this book committed suicide but failed. I'm thankful that she failed, otherwise she would never have published the book that cured me.

This very book is proof that depression can be cured, not only with anti-depressants and therapy, but also your will to fight it. Personally, I didn't use the help of effective therapists, drugs or professional help. Just this book. One day I woke up, and I wasn't depressed anymore. Thank Prozac Nation for that.