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Series of Unfortunate Stereotypes: Naming and Shaming Mental Health Stigmas
'Lucy's book really struck a chord with me. Anxiety is a medium-sized word with plus-size consequences, and opening up about what it actually means is the only way to break down those 'unfortunate stereotypes'...' Andrea McLean
'I love Lucy's writing. It's an insightful and incredibly accurate account of living with mental illness and the stigma that surrounds it, written with humour and intelligence.' Denise Welch
From a young age, Lucy Nichol has always been on edge. Whether it's because of her fear of beards, a general sense that she can catch a disease from anything, or the belief that she's going to throw up at any given moment, she's never really felt safe.
In A Series of Unfortunate Stereotypes, Lucy explores the different lenses through which she - and other people - have viewed her mental health problems. She tackles a number of different stereotypes placed on people living with mental illness, including the idea that they are narcissists, hypochondriacs, and psychos.
After writing a blog post about her journey, Lucy realised that she wasn't alone in feeling this way. And so she began to talk more about her experience, eventually becoming a columnist in Sarah Millican's magazine Standard Issue. In writing about her life in such an open way, Lucy has been able to claw herself back from the grips of her anxiety.
A Series of Unfortunate Stereotypes is one of the most fortunate things you could read!
'I love Lucy's writing. It's an insightful and incredibly accurate account of living with mental illness and the stigma that surrounds it, written with humour and intelligence.' Denise Welch
From a young age, Lucy Nichol has always been on edge. Whether it's because of her fear of beards, a general sense that she can catch a disease from anything, or the belief that she's going to throw up at any given moment, she's never really felt safe.
In A Series of Unfortunate Stereotypes, Lucy explores the different lenses through which she - and other people - have viewed her mental health problems. She tackles a number of different stereotypes placed on people living with mental illness, including the idea that they are narcissists, hypochondriacs, and psychos.
After writing a blog post about her journey, Lucy realised that she wasn't alone in feeling this way. And so she began to talk more about her experience, eventually becoming a columnist in Sarah Millican's magazine Standard Issue. In writing about her life in such an open way, Lucy has been able to claw herself back from the grips of her anxiety.
A Series of Unfortunate Stereotypes is one of the most fortunate things you could read!
- GenresNonfictionMental Health
200 pages, Paperback
Published February 19, 2018
1 person is currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Nichol
7 books84 followersLucy, whose author names are Lucy Nichol and Lucy Roth, writes fiction and non fiction with a love of comedy, nostalgia, music and busting mental health myths.
She is also a freelance writer, mental health advocate and PR consultant whose work has appeared in The Independent, The I Paper, NME, Red Magazine, Den of Geek, Huff Post and many more. She is passionate about challenging mental health and particularly addiction stigma, has worked with the media in PR and marketing for over 18 years and has experienced anxiety for even longer.
She is also a freelance writer, mental health advocate and PR consultant whose work has appeared in The Independent, The I Paper, NME, Red Magazine, Den of Geek, Huff Post and many more. She is passionate about challenging mental health and particularly addiction stigma, has worked with the media in PR and marketing for over 18 years and has experienced anxiety for even longer.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 29, 2018
In A Series of Unfortunate Stereotypes: Naming and Shaming Mental Health Stigmas, author Lucy Nichol invites us to join her in breaking down stereotypes until we’re ready to say “Stigma? What a load of old shit!” I loved the no-BS tone, with expletives liberally strewn throughout (any time an f-bomb is dropped by page 7, chances are I'm hooked). As a Canadian I enjoyed all of the British slang, even when I didn't know what the actual words meant (like what the hell is a moggy?). The levity serves to emphasize points like “Ugh, she’s doing my head in. She’s such an overactive thyroid. Nope. Never heard that one.” Besides tackling the issue of stigma in general, she takes a closer look at self-stigma and the harm that it can cause.
Any child of the 80's is as likely to feel the same connection to Lucy as I did when she dropped fun little tidbits like bike shorts with the neon stripes down the sides, Kylie Minogue's I Should Be So Lucky, and party lines, and then fast forward to sashaying onto the dance floor with earrings from Claire's and a Smirnoff Ice in hand. Despite the ocean dividing our youths Lucy is definitely my peeps!
Lucy shares her own experience with generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks, and displays a self-deprecating sense of humour throughout. The reader is left with the sense that the various anecdotes have not been tidied up or sanitized for the sake of the book, but rather represent an authentic look at the author's life and escapades. She pokes fun at her anxiety-driven thoughts, such as suspecting she might have HIV because her gums were bleeding.
She touches on the bullying and discrimination she experienced at work in the past, although for legal purposes the details and setting are changed. She writes: "You think it shouldn't be happening. Maybe it's not even happening, because you're a grownup. This kind of thing only happens in the playground, surely? ... But adults are just as capable of bullying as children." This resonated powerfully with my own experience of workplace bullying. Suggestions are given on how to pursue a bullying complaint.
The first ten chapters of the book are titled as a particular stereotype and the corresponding reality. Some of these include the hypochondriac/the poorly mind, the psycho bitch/the 1 in 4, and the happy pill-popper/the girl in recovery mode. Lucy challenges the ideas that having a mental health condition makes one "crazy", and "crazy" behaviour is indicative of mental illness. She also provides a balanced look at what medications can and can not do.
Lucy writes about learning how to deal with the reemergence of anxiety symptoms. She tackles some of the various "shoulds" around dealing with anxiety, with such giggle-inducing lines as "You do not have to practice feng shui while wearing white linen pants and listening to Enya". She also covers the therapeutic work she's done on understanding how her anxiety developed. She concludes with the ways in which she had used her experience to promote positive change, including being a Time to Change ambassador and writing for Standard Issue magazine.
The book is visually delightful with photos from various photos in the author's life as well as excellent illustrations by Jo Neary. It is a fun read with an important message, and anyone who lives with mental illness is likely to recognize pieces of themselves in Lucy's story. This book is well worth a read.
Any child of the 80's is as likely to feel the same connection to Lucy as I did when she dropped fun little tidbits like bike shorts with the neon stripes down the sides, Kylie Minogue's I Should Be So Lucky, and party lines, and then fast forward to sashaying onto the dance floor with earrings from Claire's and a Smirnoff Ice in hand. Despite the ocean dividing our youths Lucy is definitely my peeps!
Lucy shares her own experience with generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks, and displays a self-deprecating sense of humour throughout. The reader is left with the sense that the various anecdotes have not been tidied up or sanitized for the sake of the book, but rather represent an authentic look at the author's life and escapades. She pokes fun at her anxiety-driven thoughts, such as suspecting she might have HIV because her gums were bleeding.
She touches on the bullying and discrimination she experienced at work in the past, although for legal purposes the details and setting are changed. She writes: "You think it shouldn't be happening. Maybe it's not even happening, because you're a grownup. This kind of thing only happens in the playground, surely? ... But adults are just as capable of bullying as children." This resonated powerfully with my own experience of workplace bullying. Suggestions are given on how to pursue a bullying complaint.
The first ten chapters of the book are titled as a particular stereotype and the corresponding reality. Some of these include the hypochondriac/the poorly mind, the psycho bitch/the 1 in 4, and the happy pill-popper/the girl in recovery mode. Lucy challenges the ideas that having a mental health condition makes one "crazy", and "crazy" behaviour is indicative of mental illness. She also provides a balanced look at what medications can and can not do.
Lucy writes about learning how to deal with the reemergence of anxiety symptoms. She tackles some of the various "shoulds" around dealing with anxiety, with such giggle-inducing lines as "You do not have to practice feng shui while wearing white linen pants and listening to Enya". She also covers the therapeutic work she's done on understanding how her anxiety developed. She concludes with the ways in which she had used her experience to promote positive change, including being a Time to Change ambassador and writing for Standard Issue magazine.
The book is visually delightful with photos from various photos in the author's life as well as excellent illustrations by Jo Neary. It is a fun read with an important message, and anyone who lives with mental illness is likely to recognize pieces of themselves in Lucy's story. This book is well worth a read.
April 21, 2018
I have just sat and read this in one sitting. Have laughed, have pondered, have said 'no way', 'yep', 'I know, right!', 'exactly' and 'God don't I know it' out loud numerous times.....and I've cried, the proper ugly type....no Hollywood blubbing here.
The one thing I haven't done is waste any of my life reading a book in one sitting.....worthwhile, funny, self-deprecating. Lucy you are adorably faulty, just like the rest of us!
Read this book. It's that simple. If it doesn't hit a chord then sadly you are one of those that made this talented and brave lass write this book in the first place! Loved it.
Only regret?.....bought it on Kindle....can't loan to friends but will be marching them to the nearest bookshop to buy copies!
The one thing I haven't done is waste any of my life reading a book in one sitting.....worthwhile, funny, self-deprecating. Lucy you are adorably faulty, just like the rest of us!
Read this book. It's that simple. If it doesn't hit a chord then sadly you are one of those that made this talented and brave lass write this book in the first place! Loved it.
Only regret?.....bought it on Kindle....can't loan to friends but will be marching them to the nearest bookshop to buy copies!
December 5, 2018
Telling your own story is more difficult than you might think. I speak from experience on that one. I love the way Nichol takes us through her journey with anxiety and mental illness with levity, depth, and insight. Her voice comes through and she creates a genuine connection with the reader by adopting a conversational tone and quite simply being real. I recommend this book for those who have or know someone with anxiety or mental illness, as well as those interested in gaining insight into what it's like to live, challenge, and accept them.
January 30, 2019
Stumbled across this book in a library, as I am currently travelling around NZ and I honestly couldn't put it down. I have personally suffered with mental health issues for a long time now, yet this is the first book I have actually read discussing the stereotypes and stigmas. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how honest and straight to the point Lucy is and how you find yourself laughing along, like... yep thats me or lol yeah thats happened. Funny, relatable and is also a kind of nice reminder you aren't the only one. Thankyou Lucy! :)
April 4, 2018
Spotted a mention of Lucy Nichol’s new book in Metro and immediately thought what a terrible title. However, I’ve just finished reading it and have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who is, or knows, an anxious person. Very relatable, not preachy in the slightest, makes complete sense. Well worth a read. Good work, Lucy. Keep on dancing.
June 10, 2018
Funny and bittersweet
I have never been one for memoirs but Lucy kicks it out of the park and gives an incredible dialogue about living with a mental illness. She is both funny and informative which is a hard combination and I just wish I was hanging out with her when I was an awkward 'Indie' teen from a small town with menthol fags and a bottle of 20/20!
I have never been one for memoirs but Lucy kicks it out of the park and gives an incredible dialogue about living with a mental illness. She is both funny and informative which is a hard combination and I just wish I was hanging out with her when I was an awkward 'Indie' teen from a small town with menthol fags and a bottle of 20/20!
April 7, 2018
Lucy’s book is so relatable! Her writing style makes you feel like you’re talking to a friend, and I love all the pop culture references throughout. A necessary book in the fight against mental health stigma.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews