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A review by imogenrose97
Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us by Rachel Aviv
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Rachel Aviv paints a well rounded picture of mental illness. Both in the personal stories as well as detailing the myriad of ways society has let down those who are suffering from mental illness.
I really admired and appreciated the range of stories told, with kindness and understanding of how circumstance shape the experience of mental illness. How who you are can make all the difference to how you are treated and whether you come out whole at the end. Specifically I found it important that she was depicting experiences that weren't just white rich people. Discussing how the range of treatments at either end of whatever scale you are on doesn't guarantee healing.
Through it all is the sense that humans as a whole don't have a very good understanding of what mental health issues are caused by, fixed by or even really why medication works. A terrifying prospect.
I really admired and appreciated the range of stories told, with kindness and understanding of how circumstance shape the experience of mental illness. How who you are can make all the difference to how you are treated and whether you come out whole at the end. Specifically I found it important that she was depicting experiences that weren't just white rich people. Discussing how the range of treatments at either end of whatever scale you are on doesn't guarantee healing.
Through it all is the sense that humans as a whole don't have a very good understanding of what mental health issues are caused by, fixed by or even really why medication works. A terrifying prospect.