Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay

53 reviews

tupsukorva's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative fast-paced

4.25

If you're someone who gets offended easily, don't risk it by reading this book. It doesn't poke fun at patients themselves too much (though sometimes it would be totally deserved), but it can trigger some. As a person who works in veterinary medicine, I found some obvious similarities to our line of work. In solidarity it brings me so much relief, and obviously it was hilarious!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

jebarlo09's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

Moderate: Mental illness

kat_greenwood99's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

max63815's review against another edition

dark funny

4.0

The casual joking fatphobia in the book was disturbing especially coming from a doctor. Exactly the kind of attitude which results in worse care & outcomes for fat people when they need medical attention.

Overall I did enjoy the book though, and felt it did a good job communicating issues doctors in his position were facing. Curious to know how much (or little) has changed since its publication in 2017.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Mental illness and Suicide

Minor: Fatphobia

toriepeters's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted sad fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Medical content, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail

izzyvioletgrace's review

challenging emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

This book is a detailed insight into the life of a doctor. Informative and funny, yet shows the inhumane pressure doctors are put under. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Terminal illness

Minor: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Suicide attempt

eloiseug's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

This book was simply incredible. The writing is funny, witty and sarcastic. The book gives you a real sense of all of the positives and negatives of being a junior doctor, along with a sense that you are really getting to know Adam as he was when he was practicing. Kay's writing is a triumph, and one of the best things I have ever had the privilege to read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Minor: Religious bigotry and Abortion

kieransilika's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

It was crazy to see how the writers pain was masked under the words of a light heart. He talked about things that would be scary, challenging, emotional and overwhelming like it was normal. Kay managed to give a great insight into a life in the NHS - balancing a non-medic point of view with an informative counter part. It makes me angry and annoyed.

the writer works on a labour ward where he is stressed and overworked, and on the other side of that: black women are 4 times more likely to die during labour than white woman. This really highlights the awful dynamic between stressed workers and inadequate healthcare - a clear change needs to be made for employee and patient benefit.

overall the book was informative and intriguing and definitely a great read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Miscarriage, Racism, Dementia, and Abortion

bookbird's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

Jan 2023: This must be my third or fourth reread of this incredibly special book. Kay is a master storyteller, and it's his finely balanced combination of light and dark that make this book so impactful. A must-read for anyone who has ever had even the briefest experience of the NHS.

Jan 2024: I don't think I'll ever be able to properly express how highly I recommend this book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

rosalie362819's review against another edition

challenging funny informative sad fast-paced

3.0

Favourite quotes:
“It now seemed extreme and unreasonable in terms of what was expected of me, but at the time, I’d just accepted it as part of the job. The extra mile was the normal distance.”

“The depth of the lows is the price you pay for the height of the highs.”

“She bursts into tears, and out come all the will nevers, the crushing realization that forever is just a word on the front of Valentine’s cards.”

“The other thing I realize is that none of her many, many concerns are about herself; it’s all about the kids, her husband, her sister, her friends. Maybe that’s the definition of a good person.”

“He must realize we have the same chat every time, but it clearly doesn’t matter—he just wants to know there’s someone out there who cares. And actually, that’s a very large part of what being a doctor is.”

“I dress him again, look up to a God I don’t believe in, and say, ‘Look after him.’”

“You don’t cure depression, the same way you don’t cure asthma; you manage it. I’m the inhaler he’s decided to go with and I should be pleased he’s gone this long without an attack.”

“Medicine is the host who manages to keep you at the party hours after you first think about leaving.”

“It’s funny—you don’t think of doctors getting ill.”

“Think about the toll the job takes on every medical professional, at home and at work. Remember that all of them do an absolutely impossible job to the very best of their abilities. Your time in the hospital may well hurt them a lot more than it hurts you.”

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Abortion