Trouble in My Head: A Young Girl's Fight with Depression

by Mathilde Monaque, Lorenza Garcia (Translator)

Overview

Mathilde Monaque developed severe depression when she was just 14. The eldest in a family of six and an exceptionally bright and gifted little girl, the discovery shook her family to the core.

Trouble in My Head is Mathilde's tender and illuminating account of her struggle to surface from a disease that could have taken her life. With remarkable sensitivity and lucidity she describes her experience of depression, her days in the teenage hospital and her battle to conquer the disease.

Mathilde's perspective as a sufferer of teenage depression is unique. Unlike adult depression which involves feelings of guilt, Mathilde describes teenage depression as a breaking down of certainties, the fear of being oneself, the fear of not loving and of not being loved. Adults and teenagers alike will find inspiration and insight in her touching and remarkable account.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781448117130
Publisher:	Ebury Publishing
Publication date:	11/30/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	262 KB

About the Author

Mathilde Monaque is a 17-year-old girl who developed severe depression at the age of 14. She is the eldest in a family of six and lives in France.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 7 Up—Monaque tells her own story of depression, which began at age 14. Recounting her experience from memory, the teen attempts to discern what caused the illness as well as to explain the process she went through to overcome it. Beginning with a physical illness that caused her to be separated from friends, Monaque's depression eventually manifested itself as anorexia and resulted in a monthlong stay in a mental-health facility for adolescents. Although she resisted medication, it became part of her therapy for more than a year. While the young woman's extreme introspection, which involves dissecting every thought and action, is intriguing in a clinical sense, the narrative becomes tedious in places. For example, the details of the first day after placement in the hospital take nearly one-fourth of the book. Monaque's story has a happy ending as she successfully battled her problems, finished school, and planned a career in medicine, perhaps as a psychiatrist. She is bright and articulate and paints a vivid picture of what depression feels like from the inside.—Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD

EBOOK COMMENTARY

Gr 7 Up—Monaque tells her own story of depression, which began at age 14. Recounting her experience from memory, the teen attempts to discern what caused the illness as well as to explain the process she went through to overcome it. Beginning with a physical illness that caused her to be separated from friends, Monaque's depression eventually manifested itself as anorexia and resulted in a monthlong stay in a mental-health facility for adolescents. Although she resisted medication, it became part of her therapy for more than a year. While the young woman's extreme introspection, which involves dissecting every thought and action, is intriguing in a clinical sense, the narrative becomes tedious in places. For example, the details of the first day after placement in the hospital take nearly one-fourth of the book. Monaque's story has a happy ending as she successfully battled her problems, finished school, and planned a career in medicine, perhaps as a psychiatrist. She is bright and articulate and paints a vivid picture of what depression feels like from the inside.—Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD

School Library Journal

"An invaluable addition." —Booklist

"Paints a vivid picture of what depression feels like from the inside." —Library Journal

"Not only an honest insight into teenage depression, but also a gripping read." —The London Paper

From the Publisher