An account, both harrowing and amusing, of the author's dependence on Prozac, prescribed for her after a series of suicide attempts and breakdowns. She describes her experiences and her determination to get herself off medication.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"Gradually... then suddenly." There appears little else to descirbe the journey of depression that is suffered by not just the authour, but thousands everyday. Those on the outside do not understand; they cannot comprehend what is experienced by the individual labelled clinically depressed.
'Prozac Nation' truly made me feel that I was not alone; that there indeed was someone to help me. Someone who truly knew that I wanted to live. "The same way I came down, I came up." If it hadn't been for this account, I genuinely do not believe I would be here today. I highlight the pages of her narrative and every page seems applicable to myself. But there is only so much to mark. You have to make it for yourself and for any manic depressive, I genuinely belive that you are strong enough to bid adieu to the black cloud.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By C. Arnold
Format:Paperback
Having suffered from depression since I was 13, I have found this book an insightful read that attempts to abolish the perception that children do not suffer from or cannot suffer from depression. I have read rview that say this memoir is self-pitying and egotistical. I cannot agree because in all honesy, this is how depression takes hold, especially when the audience has never suffered from it. People around one tend to pre-judge making implications that one is self-absorbant and just morbid & needs to 'snap out of it'. This is something that 99% of sufferers have had to deal with at least once during their illness.
Elizabeth captures the ambience perfectly & describes how the depression takes hold of her & how hysterical it makes both her mother & herself. She shows the lack of understanding of others without blame & that it is a difficult illness to understand when there seems to be no 'real reason' behind it. Elizabeth tries to emphasise that she struggles with the guilt that she feels for having this illness considering that other people have been through worse things than her during their lives. I do think that Elizabeth's ego and confidence as a woman with this illness has been perceived badly. I honestly don't think she wrote he book to appeal to her own ego. She wanted to share her struggle & get rid of the taboo that surrounds mental illness & to show that some people are genetically more prone to the illness & do not need a 'legitimate reason' (such as abuse) to suffer from it.
The only advice I give is to try to put yourself in the same position as Elizabeth & to try to understand how this illness affects people. We are not being deliberately selfish, but obviously, the self is the only thing you can think of when you're in the bubble of depression.
Elizabeth captures the ambience perfectly & describes how the depression takes hold of her & how hysterical it makes both her mother & herself. She shows the lack of understanding of others without blame & that it is a difficult illness to understand when there seems to be no 'real reason' behind it. Elizabeth tries to emphasise that she struggles with the guilt that she feels for having this illness considering that other people have been through worse things than her during their lives. I do think that Elizabeth's ego and confidence as a woman with this illness has been perceived badly. I honestly don't think she wrote he book to appeal to her own ego. She wanted to share her struggle & get rid of the taboo that surrounds mental illness & to show that some people are genetically more prone to the illness & do not need a 'legitimate reason' (such as abuse) to suffer from it.
The only advice I give is to try to put yourself in the same position as Elizabeth & to try to understand how this illness affects people. We are not being deliberately selfish, but obviously, the self is the only thing you can think of when you're in the bubble of depression.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Philida
Format:Paperback
While I struggled to enjoy this book - I found it very hard to sympathise with Wurtzel, unfortunately - it should probably be of some interest to anyone interested in depression or psychology, or even just growing up in America in the 1970s and '80s.
Wurtzel is obviously well-read, as evidenced by her numerous references to classic works of fiction. This isn't something you find too often in modern literature, so I did find that bit gratifying. There were a couple of quite interesting passages which spoke to me - although given the length of the book, that doesn't really say much in its favour.
Like other people who have reviewed this, I've suffered from depression - but this doesn't mean that I identified with Wurtzel, and consequently I'd warn people off if they picked it up hoping to find an author who would commiserate with their problems. While it's not my thing at all, it very obviously speaks volumes to some people - so I'm giving it two stars.
Wurtzel is obviously well-read, as evidenced by her numerous references to classic works of fiction. This isn't something you find too often in modern literature, so I did find that bit gratifying. There were a couple of quite interesting passages which spoke to me - although given the length of the book, that doesn't really say much in its favour.
Like other people who have reviewed this, I've suffered from depression - but this doesn't mean that I identified with Wurtzel, and consequently I'd warn people off if they picked it up hoping to find an author who would commiserate with their problems. While it's not my thing at all, it very obviously speaks volumes to some people - so I'm giving it two stars.
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3.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good insight into depression
Wurtzel writes about depression better than anyone else I know apart from William Styron in "Darkness Visible". Read more
Published 3 days ago by Escal
5.0 out of 5 stars
great book
great book and also a great film - if you haven't seen the film I recommend reading the book first.
Published 13 days ago by Mr. J. Dawson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not easy-going, but great book
Much better to read the book before you watch the movie. Very honest, thought-provoking, sad, contemporary. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Nina Snyman
2.0 out of 5 stars
Poor little rich girl.
It was very difficult for me to identify with Elizabeth throughout her story. Depression is a serious illness, but what Elizabeth went through doesn't seem very extreme to me. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dystopiana
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable book.
As enjoyable as a book about being depressed can be. I've been suffering from depression for a while, and it's an interesting look into how someone else has gone through it and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Laura Leitch
3.0 out of 5 stars
Suffering with Depression
I enjoyed this book because she has clearly expressed and beautifully written what so many people are feeling but cannot express. Read more
Published 2 months ago by elaine
1.0 out of 5 stars
5 chapters in, doubt I'll finish.
I've suffered from Depression and Anxiety for a large chunk of my life, but this book really makes me angry. Read more
Published 7 months ago by raven_guest
1.0 out of 5 stars
A serious let down
Unfortunately, this book did not deliver. Within the first 30 pages i was beginning to hate the main character, her constant, boring whyning that removed the complete emphasis of... Read more
Published 8 months ago by mrflibble
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prozac Nation - Elizabeth Wurtzel
Review: This is one of my favourite books and one that I read again and again, usually when I am feeling depressed. Read more
Published 8 months ago by BlueAngelCV
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prozac Nation - A brilliant truth telling story
This book is absolutely fantastic. I purchased it about 5 years ago from Amazon and have read it at least twice again since that time. Read more
Published 8 months ago by extraordinary girl
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