Prozac Monologues: A Voice from the Edge

by Willa Goodfellow

Overview

She was going to stab her doctor, but she wrote a book instead.

Years later, Willa Goodfellow revisits her account of the antidepressant-induced hypomania that hijacked her Costa Rican vacation and tells the rest of the story: her missed diagnosis of Bipolar 2, how she’d been given the wrong medications, and finally, her process of recovery.

Prozac Monologues is a book within a book—part memoir of misdiagnosis and part self-help guide about life on the bipolar spectrum. Through edgy and comedic essays, Goodfellow offers information about a mood disorder frequently mistaken for major depression as well as resources for recovery and further study. Plus, Costa Rica.

· If your depression keeps coming back . . .
· If your antidepressant side effects are dreadful . . .
· If you are curious about the bipolar spectrum . . .
· If you want ideas for recovery from mental illness . . .
· If you care for somebody who might have more than depression . . .

. . . This book is for you.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631527326
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	08/25/2020
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Willa Goodfellow’s early work with troubled teens as an Episcopal priest shaped an edgy perspective and preaching style. A bachelor’s degree from Reed College and a master’s from Yale gave her the intellectual chops to read and comprehend scientific research about mental illness—and her life mileage taught her to recognize and call out the bull. So, she set out to turn her own misbegotten sojourn in the land of antidepressants into a writing career. Her journalism has attracted the attention of leading psychiatrists who worked on the DSM-5. She is certified in Mental Health First Aid, graduated from NAMI’s Peer to Peer, and has presented on mental health recovery at NAMI events and Carver Medical College of Medicine at the University of Iowa. This is her first book. Willa lives in Sisters, Oregon.

Table of Contents

The Point 1

Prozac Monologues: Bizarre: In which I decide to write a book 9

Sunday, January 23, 2005

A Voice From the Edge: Flight 17

Prozac Monologues: No Sense of Humor: In which my doctor does not smile 21

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

A Voice from the Edge: Squirrel! 29

Prozac Monologues: The Look: In which she saves my life anyway 31

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

A Voice from the Edge: Pressure 41

Prozac Monologues: Leaping Lizards: In tribute to John Steinbeck's turtle 43

Thursday, January 27, 2005

A Voice from the Edge: Jump! 53

A Voice From the Edge: Making the call 57

Prozac Monologues: The Fourth Step: In which I turn around 65

Friday, January 28, 2005

A Voice from the Edge: Three 77

Prozac Monologues: Slack: In which I give myself room to maneuver 81

Sunday, January 30, 2005

A Voice from the Edge: Chemistry Experiment 89

Prozac Monologues: Metaphor: My search for meaning and how the pharmaceutical companies try to help 91

April 2007

Prozac Monologues: Limp: On top of everything else, my hip hurts 103

Thursday, February 10, 2005

A Voice from the Edge: Balancing Act-The Science Chapter 115

A Voice from the Edge: Wait, wait! There's More 127

Prozac Monologues: Shedding: In which I consider my options 131

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Prozac Monologues: Pura Vida: In which I choose life 141

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

A Voice from the Edge: Recovery 149

A Voice from the Edge: Keep Going-Resources 165

Appendix 173

Notes 179

Bibliography 189

Acknowledgments 201

About the Author 203

Editorial Reviews

2021 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards Silver Winner in Autobiography & Memoir

“An illuminating and honest portrait of mental illness.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Prozac Monologues is an informative memoir about dealing with bipolar disorder, the misconceptions around mood disorders, and effective treatment.”
—Foreword Clarion Reviews

“Willa Goodfellow can use the words mitochondria and Deuteronomy in the same sentence and make it sound both serious and hilarious. A brain science nerd with professional theological chops, a humanist bent, and a keen self-awareness, she has produced an irreverently thoughtful opus with a profound and unifying resolution. One only hopes that Prozac Monologues II is in the works.”
—JOHN McMANAMY, author of Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder

“Brilliantly written, engaging from the first page, Prozac Monologues is a bit like a great evening at a first-rate comedy club . . . except that it is deadly serious. Goodfellow’s painful and all-too-common journey to finding the right treatment for her bipolar disorder points her to the ultimate realization that doing well with this illness requires the right medication, the right psychotherapy, and the specific lifestyle modifications that support wellness.”
—ELLEN FRANK, PhD, distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and author of Treating Bipolar Disorder: A Clinician’s Guide to Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy

“A wake-up call to the medical profession and a ray of hope for people with mood disorders. If antidepressants haven’t lived up to their name, or have even made you feel worse, this book is for you. You’ll gain a textbook’s worth of knowledge about depression and bipolar disorder without ever feeling like you read a textbook.”
—CHRIS AIKEN, MD, editor-in-chief of The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Mood Disorders Section editor for Psychiatric Times, and director of Mood Treatment Center

“At once a clear, compelling, and helpful guide for the often confusing territory of mood disorders and a vividly written personal narrative. Goodfellow writes with a mixture of justifiable anger, empathic understanding, and uproarious humor.”
—RONALD W. PIES, MD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, and author of Psychiatry on the Edge

From the Publisher