A review by shelfimprovement
(Don't) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation about Mental Health by Kelly Jensen
5.0
I'm a huge advocate for the idea that we need to talk more openly about mental health. People with mental ilness need to know they matter and that they can get better. People without it need to know they can help. In the last year, this idea has become an increasingly important part of both my personal and professional life.
I try not to be a nudge and talk about my job on here, but I work for the children's book imprint of the American Psychological Association, and it's unbelievably rewarding to say that I can connect people to tools that can address mental health concerns. I wish my parents had these resources when I was a kid; maybe it would have saved me a lot of money in therapy bills as an adult.
But I'm also getting braver at telling people about my own mental health issues. I started writing about it here, which remains relatively distinct from my offline life, and talking with other friends I know are in therapy for similar things. But I recently stood up in front of all 600 APA co-workers and talked about it, I've started talking about it on Facebook, and I talk about it more with friends who aren't struggling themselves. It relieves some of the pressure off my own head, and I feel like it relieves some of the pressure off of others who needed permission to start their own conversations.
I hope so, anyway.
These kinds of conversations are going to save lives, so thank you to Kelly Jensen for this collection. You're helping to make it easier to talk about this stuff. Not every essay in the collection worked for me, but it's important that it's out there. It's going to work for someone.
One essay that did get to me so hard was Adam Silvera's piece on hope in the face of suicidal ideation. I recently wrote a review of his latest book that boiled down to "You know how to burrow beneath my skin in a way few others do and it's amazing." But his essay burrowed beneath my skin in a way that I wrote him an email to thank him for it. I've never written a fan letter in my life, but I wrote one about being depressed.
Guys, read this book. Give it to people you love, especially teens. Learn how to talk about this shit and it's going to help someone get better.
I try not to be a nudge and talk about my job on here, but I work for the children's book imprint of the American Psychological Association, and it's unbelievably rewarding to say that I can connect people to tools that can address mental health concerns. I wish my parents had these resources when I was a kid; maybe it would have saved me a lot of money in therapy bills as an adult.
But I'm also getting braver at telling people about my own mental health issues. I started writing about it here, which remains relatively distinct from my offline life, and talking with other friends I know are in therapy for similar things. But I recently stood up in front of all 600 APA co-workers and talked about it, I've started talking about it on Facebook, and I talk about it more with friends who aren't struggling themselves. It relieves some of the pressure off my own head, and I feel like it relieves some of the pressure off of others who needed permission to start their own conversations.
I hope so, anyway.
These kinds of conversations are going to save lives, so thank you to Kelly Jensen for this collection. You're helping to make it easier to talk about this stuff. Not every essay in the collection worked for me, but it's important that it's out there. It's going to work for someone.
One essay that did get to me so hard was Adam Silvera's piece on hope in the face of suicidal ideation. I recently wrote a review of his latest book that boiled down to "You know how to burrow beneath my skin in a way few others do and it's amazing." But his essay burrowed beneath my skin in a way that I wrote him an email to thank him for it. I've never written a fan letter in my life, but I wrote one about being depressed.
Guys, read this book. Give it to people you love, especially teens. Learn how to talk about this shit and it's going to help someone get better.