Cover Image: Mental

Mental

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Member Reviews

I’m sorry but I could not finish this book. This book was written in almost stream-of-consciousness form, alternating with lots of facts and overall it was too much for me. It definitely fit the tale of a kid with bipolar but as a book, it was too much and I can’t finish it.

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I find books that talk about mental illness, especially memoirs, extremely interesting so I had to request this one when I saw it up on NetGalley. I’m always up for learning more about the mental illness I suffer from or the ones I don’t suffer from. I also find books that are based in or that have scenes in mental hospitals more than interesting. I thought this book was raw and thought provoking, I’m beyond grateful that I got the chance to read about Jamie.
I love that the story was told in a way that she wasn’t her diagnosis, she was an actual person. I thought Jamie did a wonderful job explaining her experiences with bipolar disorder in an easy and understandable way. I really enjoyed that she put pictures and journal entries in the book, it really put her story into focus.I love how open an honest Jamie was with her highs and low, even though I’m sure the lows and the highs were extremely hard to write about.
Overall I thought this was an excellent story about someone living with a mental illness. I loved that there were parts added that made you laugh, some that made you want to cry, and everything in between. If you are looking for a book by an extremely reliable author on the subject of bipolar this one is for you. If you are looking for more information on bipolar disorder this one would be perfect for you as well.

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Mental is the story of Jaime Lowe's descent into mania and depression as she grappled with her bipolar disorder throughout childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. I found Lowe's writing deliciously candid, and her description of mania and depression in her experience was gripping, heartbreaking, and even a little hilarious. I appreciated her talking about something so stigmatized and hush-hush; we definitely need to make mental health more of an easy topic to talk about in our society.

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Whenever I stumble upon a mental health book I make sure to read it because to me mental health is the most important thing in one’s life. I try and read mental health books as often as I can and I hope this year will be filled with great mental health books. Mental: Lithium, Love, and Losing my Mind is a very interesting and thoroughly researched book on bipolar disorder and the drug Lithium.

In Mental we are introduced to Jaime Lowe, a woman who suffers from bipolar disorder (bipolar I) and who as you can tell by the title takes lithium (a commonly used drug to treat bipolar disorder). In her memoir she tells us the story of her life with and without Lithium – her younger days filled with manic episodes which weren’t yet diagnosed and her post-adolescence life filled with therapy and taking medication in order to control her bipolar disorder. Even though this is a memoir it is also a well-researched exploration of the drug, Lithium – its effects, good and bad sides.

As I mentioned Lithium is widely known in treating bipolar disorder and the Lowe’s decision to include her research of the drug into her memoir works pretty well because it makes the novel in its way much more enjoyable. Mental does have some downsides because of its repetitiveness and switching from one story to the other in a chapter. Lowe provides us with a lot of historical information about Lithium, its components and how it was used in the past. While researching she has interviewed many psychiatrists, psychologists and scientists who gave her more insight on the drug as well as us, the reader. I have learned where the first mental institution was built and how mentally ill people were treated back then. I have highlighted a few quotes and interesting information from this book which I’ll share below:

‘’One of the first examples of hysteria was observed by Thomas Sydenham in 1681.’’
‘’[talking about mania] There’s a magnetism to that kind of high, and I knew I could draw people to me.’
‘’I turned into a comet or a supernova, bursting but going in no particular direction, aimed at nothing but intensely moving forward on a trajectory to nowhere. Everything was eclipsed by me. I was the sun, the moon, the solar system, the beginning of time and the end.’’
‘’When you are depressed you want to be a time traveller, going back, going forward, being anywhere but in the here and now.’’
‘’One night when H was away, the sky shook and lit up like war.’’

To anyone who loves learning about mental disorders or bipolar disorder in particular I would recommend this book because it contains plenty of interesting information and the work Lowe put in it shines through the pages.

I would like to thank the publisher (Blue Riders Press) and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Having a family member diagnosed as bi-polar, I was extremely thrilled to have received the ARC copy from NetGalley. Maybe I misunderstood the synopsis of this book, but I was expecting something different. It was well written but I was hoping it was more about the author’s dealing with the bi-polar disease and not so much about the drug Linthium. If your interest is in the history of Linthium , then this is the book for you. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

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There are few autobiographies about mental illness that are as frank and raw as Mental, by Jaime Lowe…. I found the author’s honesty about the disease refreshing and the way the book is written, makes for fantastic awareness in hopes of an end to the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

A story of incidental derangement, as well as the stabil­ity, found while on lithium. The author wrestles with questions of identity: Who is she, without the mania? Where does her personality end, and the condition begin? It’s powerful material, but told with a sarcastic humor that keeps things grounded…. Informative, heartbreaking, powerful, humorous read – I have nothing but praise for this book!

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I'm a quick reader. I did not read this book quickly. But I did read it gratefully, because it made me reassess my bipolar journey--especially the time I spent at an adolescent psych hospital while my peers were in AP Calculus. Though triggering (as expected), I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to anyone who has experienced bipolar disorder as a patient or as a caregiver. If one is fortunate enough to be outside those categories, this book is still an eventful memoir well-told and rounded out with tales from the history of psychiatry and pharmacology.

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This was a beautifully written memoir about an incredibly sobering topic: mental illness. The book chronicles the author's fight with a bpd diagnosis and medicine trials. Mental illness is still a somewhat taboo subject without enough awareness or candid stories. I would highly recommend this to anyone suffering from mental illness, anyone who does or may know someone suffering, or anyone generally looking for insight.

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Mental is an autobiographical look into Jaime Lowe’s experience living with a bipolar diagnosis. Like many stories that deal with mental illness, one of the biggest struggles always seems to be getting the medication regulated (see my post: Imagine Me Gone).

It’s heartbreaking to read how difficult this regulation can be for the patient. I have sympathy for the doctor’s that are trying to help, yet frustrated that we continue to push drugs on the patients. I don’t know what the right answer is because I do believe the drugs help regulate the symptoms; however, there does seem to be a limit to the amount of these drugs that should be prescribed.

Somehow, Lowe was able to get through college and establish her writing career. Her book is an intense, honest, and raw look into her struggle. It was difficult to read at times because i just felt so badly for everything she was going through. However, I was filled with hope that she was able to still experience a successful writing career.

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I had a really hard time with this book. It seems like it was something that would have been right up my alley, but I really struggled with it and had to DNF it at 38%

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I wanted to love Jamie Lowe's <i>Mental: Lithium, Love, and Losing My Mind</i>, I really did.

Lowe takes us on her journey through mental illness, to Lithium, which stabilizes her, and beyond. Along the way, we get frequent asides on the history of the treatment of mental illness, the development of Lithium (and other pharmaceuticals that treat mental illness), and her quest to try and puzzle out the nature of her relationship to her illness and its treatments. Her writing is solid and it's clear that her journalism background informs much of it.

In the end, I wanted more memoir and less history of Lithium, (or perhaps I wanted them to just be separate books. I could really dig a well written book on the history of Lithium!). However, the balancing act between the two fell a bit short, and left me with the sense that this was memoir pieces, padded together with history pieces, rather than one cohesive piece.

I would recommend this book to folks who can't get enough memoirs about mental illness (you know who you are).

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It seems that memoirs about dealing with mental illness are becoming proportionately as ubiquitous as the conditions themselves. Searching "mental health" in Amazon's biographies and memoirs category produces more than 5,000 results. At least anecdotally, such works coming into the mainstream seems to correspond with increasing public discussion of destigmatizing mental illness. In recounting her 20 years struggling with bipolar disorder in Mental: Lithium, Love, and Losing My Mind, Jaime Lowe not only discusses the condition but examines the treatment of choice.

Bipolar disorder, once known as manic depressive illness, usually first appears between the ages of 15 and 30, with 25 being the average age of onset. Lowe was an overachiever, with her first hospitalization for the condition occurring at age 16. Mental opens with a recounting of her first episode of extreme mania. As with other accounts, one wonders how someone who, to put it colloquially, is "out of their mind can accurately describe what happened. Lowe, though, says that because the experience was "real for me," she does remember and the incidents leave a feeling that "never fully dissipates."

While hospitalized, she was started on lithium, the first line treatment for bipolar disorder. What is more striking about this first hospitalization is not necessarily what led to it but the existential state in which she was left once well enough to be released.

"Who was I if my actions and thoughts didn’t represent me? What if they did represent me? What if they were extensions of me, rooted in a subconscious realm? What if the me from before I was on lithium is the real me?"

Lowe recognizes these questions were too deep for her teenage mind to ponder for long. At the same time, she says, "I no longer had a baseline for reality or even a way to fully trust myself." And those existential questions, or at least their undercurrent, would not disappear.

Lowe was fortunate because lithium worked for her, allowing her to live and work without being overwhelmed by her condition. In late 1999, Lowe tapered off lithium after having taken it for six years. She began slipping into a manic state even before stopping the drug entirely and once full blown, it would take several months to convince her to go back on the drug. Again, she returned to comparatively normal life.

Still, her "normality" reflects one of the problems with the psychiatric memoir. As a college student, she lived in Edinburgh, Scotland, for a year studying art history. She's traveled to Turkey, Germany and Japan and enjoyed the nightlife and other things New York City had to offer while living and working there. To date, the memoir authors largely have been white and relatively privileged. We aren't hearing the experiences of those, minority or otherwise, who struggle to obtain treatment, let alone those who lack the resources, or the deinstitutionalized. Granted, this is not a problem cause by Lowe. In fact, near the end of Mental, she discusses the fact that while she spent more than $100,000 on outpatient psychiatric care in 18 years in New York City, some 43 million Americans don't have that option.

In 2014, Lowe encountered something many others who rely on lithium face -- kidney damage. Routine blood tests by her primary care physician ultimately revealed that two decades of lithium left her kidneys with only 48 percent function. "I had to choose between my kidneys or losing my sanity," she writes. Her need to search for a replacement treatment leads her to explore lithium itself. In doing so, Mental is uncommon.

As if infatuated by it, Lowe travels to lithium production sites in Nevada and Bolivia and spas with lithium in the water. She ultimately weaves together concise summaries of the history of treating mental illness, what lithium is, where it comes from and the history of its medical use. And, Lowe says, the nature of lithium creates a problem for patients. Lithium is one of the first three chemical elements created by the Big Bang. That means it can't be patented so, according to Lowe, there's no financial incentive to continue studying its effect on the brain. Lowe fortunately found another treatment that has worked, although the book recounts that it was far from a simple process.

As noted, Mental comes from the view of a privileged, white American, which is heightened here by a sense of New York City bohemian cool. Perhaps related to the latter, at times the tone is one of hip casualness and there are occasional clunkers ("temperament itself is so tempestuous"). Lowe also tends to wander or be a bit wordy in the last third of the book, delving into family history and other topics. The flaws, though, do not leave the book or its scope hollow. By going beyond the personal aspects of bipolar disorder, Lowe provides a rare perspective.

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I am fascinated by stories about mental health and mental illness. There is something absolutely primal within me that resonates when I read about people's struggles to maintain a sense of self when their own mind turns on them... It is one of my biggest fears - always has been. I've always been a person who lived as much in my head as in the world around me, and the thought that I might one day not be able to do that - that I might not be able to trust my brain to tell me not only what is around me but who I am - is horrifying to me.

Jaime Lowe's Mental is two parts memoir, one part history book, and all three parts were exceedingly interesting. The book opens with her in the middle of a manic cycle, about to be institutionalized and medicated for the first time - at age 16. The story is a roller-coaster ride, a manic (literally) trip through the looking glass... Through it all, Lowe's frank and engaging storytelling style entertains and educates - this is not only a personal history, but also a history of lithium. As Lowe manages her own condition (bipolar 1, which emphasizes manic as opposed to depressive episodes), she struggles to figure out what lithium - her personal magic bullet - is, why it works, and what it means for her and others suffering like her.

This was a fascinating peek behind the curtain. I can't imagine living through manic episodes - or watching and participating in them as Lowe's family and friends have... The inner strength that must be marshaled to not only survive but to live to tell the tale is as impressive as is the engaging tale that resulted. Kudos to Jaime Lowe for both.

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Author Jaime Lowe candidly shares her true story of meeting the challenges of living with a serious mental illness (SMI). The amount of medication needed to function in a normal way, or like most people was really surprising. The pink pills on the debut cover of “Mental: Lithium, Love and Losing My Mind” appear rather unsettling in their actual form photographed in her open mouth, along with other pills. Lowe has done her research, and wrote about facing the challenges of functioning with a SMI, her diagnosis and therapy, the serious side effects of the meds, how she coped with family and friends treating her differently. Lowe also discussed mental health care in the USA, also Lithium, how it worked so well for her, until it didn’t.

After a severe psychotic breakdown that left her hospitalized, Lowe was accepted later at UC Davis. Before her first year of college she interned at the popular TV show “Hard Copy” and scooped ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s. By this time, her therapy and meds were stabilized, and she was able to finish college and move to NYC, to establish a career.
Grateful to her neighbors on the second floor for letting her stay with them, she sent them $700.00 USD of butternut squash and lavender hand cream, after her apartment unit was heavily damaged by a fire she had caused. After the fire, consulting with Dr. Swartz she realized she would need to go back on Lithium ASAP: Lowe wrote.… “And things got dark because I was getting better. The Lithium was working. And once again, I didn’t care how. I just noticed it brought me back. I could see clearly how I destroyed personal relationships, professional relationships; family members saw me in a different way; the world I came in contact with knew two different Jaime’s, a medicated one and a manic one…”

It was fairly challenging to establish herself as a professional writer, especially during an interview when she discouraged a prospective employer from hiring her. Eventually she gained professional writing experience working for Men’s Journal and Sport’s Illustrated: she was able to travel, stayed on fine hotels, and had an expense account. Lowe didn’t feel she was a great sports writer; she hesitated to be defined by a particular genre-- such as essay, music or cultural themes. In 2005, she spotted Mike Tyson on one of her flights, they briefly spoke; he gave her his card and encouraged her to call.
A highlight of the book was when Lowe flew to the La Paz region in Bolivia. After adjusting to the altitude at 12,000 ft. above sea level—she flew to the Salar de Uyuni to tour the Bolivian state owned Lithium salt mines and plant. An estimated 50% of the worlds Lithium comes from this “nowhere zone that seemed to capture the beginning of time.” This was an unforgettable piece of detailed travel writing, and would have made a great conclusion to the book. However, there was more.

In Rome Lowe attended the 18th International Review of Psychosis and Bipolarity. This three day conference was attended by doctors and psychiatrists from all over the world. Lowe interviewed the 89 year old Dr. Jules Angst, a renowned expert in bipolarity. There was a larger volume of technical medical themed writing throughout the book. Lowe explained she didn’t have a serious romantic relationship until 2008-2009 when she was 32 years old. With Lowe’s SMI this was understandable--yet it doesn’t account for the overall lack of personal interactions and/or dialogue with others that make books of this nature truly memorable. Many personal photos (some with artistic themes) were included. 3.5* GOOD.
**With thanks and appreciation to Penguin Random House LLC via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.

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MENTAL: LITHIUM, LOVE, AND LOSING MY MIND is a memoir that deals with author's experiences with bipolar disorder and the use of lithium to treat it. While the first half is personal experiences of the author, the second half slows down as the author gets into more technical/scientific explanations regarding lithium and its use in treating bipolar disorder. Especially enlightening for those unfamiliar with bipolar disorder and its treatment. My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy...

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I didn't finish the book. It wasn't a good fit for me. I expected it to be more knowledge on the mental illness of the title.

Please keep me in mind for future books. I post on my blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter and if asked on Amazon.

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I really enjoyed this book. I could relate with the book and the things she went through. I strongly agree that mental illnesses aren't treated as seriously as they really are.

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Jaime Lowe has written a hard-hitting memoir portraying the reality of living with a mental illness. Her account differs from many others with bipolar disorder in that her illness consisted largely of manic rather than depressive episodes. And, unlike so many sufferers, she was treated early and had an excellent response to lithium, the current drug of choice for bipolar illness. In her memoir, Jaime vividly describes what her life was like both with and without her medication, and the devastating reality that the lithium, while allowing her to live a normal life, was destroying her kidneys. As she experiments with another drug to manage her illness, Jaime explores the history, effectiveness, and long-term consequences of lithium usage

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"Mental" is a compelling account of Jaime Lowe's journey with bipolar interwoven with her experience taking lithium, as well as its history. It's a refreshing, unique take on the bipolar memoir genre, one that is very welcome considering how lithium is considered to be the "gold standard" medication for bipolar disorder. While Lowe had to switch medications after a long (and unfortunately kidney-damaging) run with lithium, she presents the substance in a comprehensive light. Lowe even goes so far as to travel all the way to Bolivia to examine how it's mined. "Mental" is a significant addition to the bipolar literature. Anyone who takes lithium or cares about someone who takes this medication should take the time to read Lowe's groundbreaking book.

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Author Jaime Lowe has had a love-hate relationship with lithium carbonate since she was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teen. On the one hand, the little pink pills, when taken as prescribed, have moderated her mood swings, but on the other, her long-term use of the compound has left her with kidney damage.

The first two sections of Lowe's unfortunately titled memoir <em>Mental</em> tell the story of Lowe's life on lithium and her life without it. In the book's final section she switches genres into travel writing and visits places associated with the periodic table's lightest metal. It's a great idea for a book, but the execution at times leaves something to be desired. Her tendency to list things, specifically her friends' names and foods, bogs down the narrative flow.

Still, this book provides an intimate look into one woman's life with chronic mental illness.

Please note that I received an electronic copy of this book to review from NetGalley, but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book.

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