Book Review: Fly Me To The Moon: Bipolar Journey Through Mania and Depression
Fly Me To The Moon is a realistic, informative, yet disturbing novel written by a Birmingham, Alabama psychiatrist, H.E. Logue, M.D., who has had 37 years experience dealing with conditions of the human mind. Fly Me To The Moon is a novel dealing with very real subject matter, that is written in a highly readable, interesting format instead of textbook definitions. The story deals with Eileen Robbins, an intelligent, creative and energetic young woman. Initially, Ms. Robbins moves up quickly in her career. She impresses her supervisor with clever thinking and creative ideas. Soon, however, she begins to experience violent mood swings, rapidly changing thoughts, sleepless nights and delusions of grandeur. Quickly, her thoughts and feelings spiral out of control, and her moods grow more disturbing. Thankfully, she meets a kind doctor who explains to her that her behavior is being caused by a chemical imbalance, a condition termed bipolar disorder. She is at first disturbed that she would be labeled as a “mental patient”, highly successful in her career, and chosen as one of the “top 40 under 40” for the year. Eileen displays her own prejudice toward labeling highly successful individuals as “mentally ill”.
The road to recovery was a long, difficult process. As with many individuals with mental illness, Eileen stopped taking her medication for a period of time because she felt better. Her exuberance returned along with her energy for new, creative ideas. Doctors often must emphasize the importance of taking all of the medication everyday, even if the patient feels better and thinks medication is no longer needed. With initial difficulty; Eileen learns to accept her diagnosis of bipolar disorder and leads a successful life. Success comes with doctors making necessary changes in types of drugs, strength and dosage. After diagnosis, improvement comes from medication, diet, exercise and overall health of the individual.
We must learn that everyone has a highly variable genetic makeup, which determines who we are as individuals. The type and intensity of illness is determined by genetics as well. We are each individuals first, distinguished from any disorder or illness we may have. Change must be made in how we view and treat the mentally ill. Just remember; you are not your illness, you are a unique individual and you are not alone. Through reading this book, you will gain more compassion and understanding of this very difficult disorder.
The road to recovery was a long, difficult process. As with many individuals with mental illness, Eileen stopped taking her medication for a period of time because she felt better. Her exuberance returned along with her energy for new, creative ideas. Doctors often must emphasize the importance of taking all of the medication everyday, even if the patient feels better and thinks medication is no longer needed. With initial difficulty; Eileen learns to accept her diagnosis of bipolar disorder and leads a successful life. Success comes with doctors making necessary changes in types of drugs, strength and dosage. After diagnosis, improvement comes from medication, diet, exercise and overall health of the individual.
We must learn that everyone has a highly variable genetic makeup, which determines who we are as individuals. The type and intensity of illness is determined by genetics as well. We are each individuals first, distinguished from any disorder or illness we may have. Change must be made in how we view and treat the mentally ill. Just remember; you are not your illness, you are a unique individual and you are not alone. Through reading this book, you will gain more compassion and understanding of this very difficult disorder.
For more information, read these books:
Detour: My Bipolar Road Trip in 4-D by Lizzie Simon
An Unquiet Mind by Kay R. Jamison
Websites for more information:
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