Mind Your Mental Health is a small ebook that is basically an extract from Kaz Cooke’s larger guide to life (for ladies), titled Women’s Stuff. When I saw it on Netgalley I was immediately drawn to the subject matter and hoped it would be enlightening. I suffer from an anxiety disorder myself and while I’ve read a helluva lot online about it (ah, the joys of compulsions), I haven’t actually read any books on the topic.
Maybe because I already know a lot about the subject, I didn’t really find anything that I wasn’t already aware of in Mind Your Mental Health. It briefly covers various aspects of mental health – including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, personality disorders and grief. The problem is, it’s not in depth enough to provide any real help for someone suffering from a particular issue. For that reason, I think it’s probably of more use to people wanting to get a quick overview of mental health problems rather than a deeper understanding of one area in particular.
With frequent references to Women’s Stuff, Mind Your Mental Health at times felt like nothing more than a hook to get people to read the larger book. But it does contain some useful information. What I liked most were the many quotes from women who had particular conditions or had experienced certain circumstances. It’s always reassuring to know that there are other people out there going through the same thing – and, even better, have come out the other side. I also liked the extensive reference lists at the end of each chapter, featuring helplines and places to go to get more information. It’s the sort of thing that’s good to have on hand, especially when dealing with such topics. Overall, Mind Your Mental Health is a good introduction to the subject matter but I wouldn’t recommend it for people wanting extensive information and/or guidance.
Rating: 3/5
Fine Print
Published: March 2013, Penguin Books Australia
Source: Netgalley
Get It: Amazon
Sounds like an ok rad if you want something quick and not too in-depth, but I am keen to know what the full book is like.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Belle :)
Yes, I have her Girl's Stuff for work and it's a good reference guide, I'm not sure what the Women's Stuff is like. I have a feeling it will be similar to this - cover a big variety of topics briefly.
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