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Trouble Tete Journal D'une Depression
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.
192 pages, Pocket Book
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 1, 2013
The bibliograp of Matilde Monaque, Touble in My Head, A Young Girl's Fight with Depression, describes e experiences of when she was fouteen. Severe depression created a long struggle for her life. She expreses her emotions thoroughly thoughout the story.
Mathilde's story begins in her home. But when her mother recieves a phone call from Mathilde's doctor saying there is an opening in the hospital, she ends us there for a one-month stay. Mathilde was fouteen and diagnosed with severe depression. Skinny and weak from lack of nutrition, her life was in serious danger. As the oldest of six children, she never got much attention, however she always did her best to make others happy. After being sent to the hospital to recover, she meets new people with problems much worse than hers. She tries to get better, but er disgust with food and her appearance hinders her progress.
One doesn't specifically need a reason to be depressed Mathilde's struggle to understand her emotions and fight with them reminds me a lot of myself. Personally, I feel that this quote really shows how depressed she was: "No one else can see that nothing makes sense, everything is doomed to failure. We are born and live for no reason. The only thing we have any say over is death. Death is the high point in life, its culmination, in every sense"(17). There is no way for me to explain exactly why I like this quote so much, but it speaks to me and really makes me think. Mathilde's words are written in such a way that she will bing you into her own soul to get a closer look at depression. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who thinks they may have depression, or to someone who wishes to understand it better. It gives amazingly detailed insight to the emotions of a depressed person.
Mathilde's story begins in her home. But when her mother recieves a phone call from Mathilde's doctor saying there is an opening in the hospital, she ends us there for a one-month stay. Mathilde was fouteen and diagnosed with severe depression. Skinny and weak from lack of nutrition, her life was in serious danger. As the oldest of six children, she never got much attention, however she always did her best to make others happy. After being sent to the hospital to recover, she meets new people with problems much worse than hers. She tries to get better, but er disgust with food and her appearance hinders her progress.
One doesn't specifically need a reason to be depressed Mathilde's struggle to understand her emotions and fight with them reminds me a lot of myself. Personally, I feel that this quote really shows how depressed she was: "No one else can see that nothing makes sense, everything is doomed to failure. We are born and live for no reason. The only thing we have any say over is death. Death is the high point in life, its culmination, in every sense"(17). There is no way for me to explain exactly why I like this quote so much, but it speaks to me and really makes me think. Mathilde's words are written in such a way that she will bing you into her own soul to get a closer look at depression. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who thinks they may have depression, or to someone who wishes to understand it better. It gives amazingly detailed insight to the emotions of a depressed person.
May 3, 2013
At the age of 14, Mathilde develops a deep and crippling depression. She is an extremely bright young girl but can't seem to shake the terrible feelings and thoughts she is plagued with. Her parents admit her to a short-stay hospital where she tries to figure out what brought on the depression and how she will ever get through it.
Trouble In My Head is a well-written and accessible short memoir about a young girl battling depression and anorexia in a hospital setting. The only reason I docked a few stars was because her process of getting better wasn't very clear. It was as though being in the hospital was the biggest problem and once she left everything was magically better. I would recommend picking up this book if you or anyone you know suffers from these conditions.
Trouble In My Head is a well-written and accessible short memoir about a young girl battling depression and anorexia in a hospital setting. The only reason I docked a few stars was because her process of getting better wasn't very clear. It was as though being in the hospital was the biggest problem and once she left everything was magically better. I would recommend picking up this book if you or anyone you know suffers from these conditions.
lost-interest
December 31, 2016lost interest about halfway through when the religion stuff started becoming a major theme. just not my personal cup of tea.
(it's funny - when you read memoirs about mental health, there's that weird relationship to the writing where you can get annoyed and lose interest when you can't relate to some aspect of someone else's intensely personal experience with their mental illness.
we get so self-obsessed when it comes to this kind of thing. they didn't write MY highly specific experience to each exact detail, how ANNOYING.
i also start to invalidate - like, my experience isn't exactly like someone else? welp guess i've been faking it this whole time! and that's another reason i sometimes have to set aside mental health memoirs - i just get myself twisted up too much.
just... so strange, lol.)
the book itself is a very poignant memoir of a young teenager's experience with a depressive episode. it's a depressing, slightly triggering read, but i definitely was enjoying it.
i found many of her statements and trains of thought pretty spot-on as far as my own experience with depression goes, and i think this would have been a book that i'd have really appreciated when i was actually going through my first major depressive episode in high school - it would have helped me identify what was actually happening.
definitely worth picking up and giving a read.
(it's funny - when you read memoirs about mental health, there's that weird relationship to the writing where you can get annoyed and lose interest when you can't relate to some aspect of someone else's intensely personal experience with their mental illness.
we get so self-obsessed when it comes to this kind of thing. they didn't write MY highly specific experience to each exact detail, how ANNOYING.
i also start to invalidate - like, my experience isn't exactly like someone else? welp guess i've been faking it this whole time! and that's another reason i sometimes have to set aside mental health memoirs - i just get myself twisted up too much.
just... so strange, lol.)
the book itself is a very poignant memoir of a young teenager's experience with a depressive episode. it's a depressing, slightly triggering read, but i definitely was enjoying it.
i found many of her statements and trains of thought pretty spot-on as far as my own experience with depression goes, and i think this would have been a book that i'd have really appreciated when i was actually going through my first major depressive episode in high school - it would have helped me identify what was actually happening.
definitely worth picking up and giving a read.
May 26, 2019
The epilogue was the most poignant part of this book. The rest was a bit confusing as the time seemed to jump around even tho she appeared to be describing day by day her life in the hospitable. The description of her thoughts while in the heights of depression and anorexia were believable, but something was missing. It is hard to think that other than her one brief visit with the priest that no one on the medical staff helped in any real way. In fact, the description of her care had me wondering how did she get better at all. Was it entirely by her own will-power?
December 30, 2021
This book was really GOOD. The way the author tell the readers about her experience having severe depression and how she slowly got better with her illness is amazingly written!
I usually put tags on the pages i like, that i hate or what i think is important but for this book: i couldn't put it every time i finish one page , because i was so attached with her story that i completely forgot to put the tags, i loved every part of this book! I love how short this book but it shows and explain a lot of depression and what its like having depression.
I usually put tags on the pages i like, that i hate or what i think is important but for this book: i couldn't put it every time i finish one page , because i was so attached with her story that i completely forgot to put the tags, i loved every part of this book! I love how short this book but it shows and explain a lot of depression and what its like having depression.
August 24, 2017
When in a holiday house this summer, I found this book in there and I remembered that, several years ago, I had added it to my to-read list. That’s why I decided to read it –why not?- but it ended up being bland, somehow, and, for someone who has read a lot about this topic, it didn’t really stand out.
February 4, 2013
The author explains her adolescent depression pretty well... different from adult depression. Gives us an insight into the teenage depression, so that we should not judge children/adolescents' mental illnesses which are different from adults' mental illnesses. And it gives a ray of hope to the parents who are dealing with their child/adolescent's depression.
January 20, 2008
This was written by a 14 year old but I found it compelling. She was sharing her story about her struggle with depression and what came with that. Highly recommend the book. Then length of it was just perfect for the issue that it was about.
October 5, 2014
A clear, interesting, and tender account of a girl's struggle with depression. This is a memoir, no medical mumbo-jumbo, just the story of what it was like for the author to have depression and how she managed to come out of it. A much better read than I had anticipated, and it went by fast.
June 13, 2016
Writing wasn't bad but it was overall rather bland and, well... depressing! I don't read books to get depressed. Given that it's a memoir about depression, it's probably not a little revealing about the place from which the author wrote.
November 8, 2008
This book is simply amazing. It made me realise things about my life and how to make it better, and that nothing is ever impossible.
August 5, 2011
Touching and insightful!
January 3, 2012
written in simple, easy to understand language..gives an accurate perspective of depression in adolescence..relateable and raw
January 24, 2014
Ached for her/learned quite a bit through her story. (PS. This is posted via Goodreads.)
November 29, 2015
Tbh this book was super boring to me. I kept falling asleep during it and it's a great explanation as to why I don't read nonfiction
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews