The Beast: A Journey Through Depression

by Tracy Thompson

“A frightening tale that will strike a nerve in anyone whose life has been touched by the agony of mental illness” (People).   It hides in plain sight—in the colleague who drinks too much, in the friend who keeps canceling nights out, in the teenager who won’t leave his room. It is frequently found running in tandem with other life-threatening diseases. It is in our colleagues, in our friends, in our families.   Depression has afflicted Tracy Thompson most of her life. To the outsider looking in, she was a happy person with a rewarding career, a beautiful family, and a large circle of friends. But lurking beneath the veil of contentment was a dark, inexplicable, and all-consuming despair that she would later dub “The Beast.”   In this unflinching chronicle of her continuing battle against “The Beast,” Tracy Thompson writes with ceaseless candor on her struggles and the internal war that pursued her from youth to adulthood, undermining relationships, complicating her career, and threatening her family. Thompson recounts this most personal and vital battle to reclaim her life before depression could take it from her. A seminal work on depression at publication, The Beast remains an essential read to the millions of Americans enduring this affliction, in either their loved ones or themselves. It offers an insightful perspective on the disease, and a glimmer of hope.   “Ms. Thompson takes a clear-eyed look at work as well as love, intertwining the success story of her journalistic career (she eventually becomes a reporter on The Washington Post) with her record of numb despair, suicide attempts and hospitalizations.” —The New York Times

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Psychology, Biography, Self Help, Mental Illness

276 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1995

About the author

I am a journalist, book author and editor. My most recent book, The New Mind of the South (Simon & Schuster), is a look at what my native region is becoming in the 21st century, and why it continues to be so misunderstood by Southerners and non-Southerners alike.

Before I started doing what I do now, I was a newspaper reporter for 15 years—-eight years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and seven years at the Washington Post. I've also written about mental illness, both my own and other people's, discovering in the process that one of mankind's most enduring afflictions is still shrouded in stigma, even today. If you ask me, that's just crazy! Those books, The Beast and The Ghost in the House, are what writers call "well reviewed," meaning the critics liked them but they never came close to the best-seller list. But they're still in print, and you can order them from my favorite independent bookstore, Politics and Prose, at https://www.politics-prose.com/.

Reviews

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book scares me.

My warning to anyone currently suffering from depression who is thinking of picking this book up: When I read this in high school while suffering from a pretty severe depression, it kinda knocked the wind out of me. All I did was sleep for like a week.

Her descriptions, her trip through the pain, felt very realistic and compelling. That's because it's very well written. As I empathized, my negative thinking and hopelessness were compounded and her pain fed into my own. Yuck.

Be careful you don't indentify too strongly with a static, destructive, view of yourself as depressed.

[Victoria Richmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was introspective and honest in a way I haven’t experienced before. I really felt every peak and valley of the authors life and it gave a true mirror to depression and the inner workings of the mind. Would highly recommend for a firsthand view on the topic to anyone who has or has not experienced depression and anxiety.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gifted journalist's account of her lifelong fight with, and ultimate victory over, clinical depression - this book is the source of one of my favorite quotes: "The unexamined life is not worth living... but the the unlived life is not worth examining." Educational and inspirational.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book that I could so relate to! Her mother, like mine, lived in a Baptist orphanage. This book spoke to me in a way no other "self-help" book ever has. I would even say it was life changing.

[Sharon cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the way she describes her emotions, but sometimes too many details on her job.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good autobiography of someone who has survived living with mental health problems and is still fighting.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me think about what it’s like to have depression

[Chamie Goetzinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Megha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tracy Thompson is a brave woman to pen down her life, days, moments, good and bad with such honesty. There are many people who thinks mental illness is a synonym to madness and more still who will directly tag a person mad, more so in India.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compellingly well-written memoir.

This was the first book I'd ever read which fully expressed how it feels to have depression - not just the 'grey cloud' of apathy and numbness, but also the intense episodes of self-loathing and self-destructive behaviours - and as such was enormously reassuring and even healing for me personally. While I'm tempted to recommend it to others struggling with depression, its accounts of compulsive behaviour, self-harm and domestic abuse would, I imagine, render it extremely triggering for many people.

(Which means that it's probably best aimed at people looking to understand depression in *others* - although the extreme nature of some of Thompson's experiences may lead some to assume that the author's depression was *caused by* the negative influences in her life - whereas many people suffer depression for no discernible reason & in fact having no concrete 'origin' is a leading cause of frustration in those affected by mental illness! It does, however, serve as an excellent chronicle of the thought processes and peculiar logic typical of depression.)

[Bella Schaefer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book talks about Thompson's journey through depression. She uses this extended metaphor, ‘the beast’ to describe her depression. In the prologue of this novel Thompson talks about getting hit by a car that set her into a coma at a young age. She describes not being pretty enough nor good enough for anyone and this is a recurring issue throughout the novel. In this books she shows what it's truly like to be in the mindset of a depressed person. She expresses these feeling showing excerpts from her journals, in which she would write in when she could feel the beast coming. This book beautifully describes the perspective of a depressed person. She also talks of the time when she was admitted into the hospital for her depression and how that affected her career. I thoroughly loved this book and would recommend this to high school and up, due to its graphic and gruesome details in the experts of her journal. These journals entails he thoughts about committing suicide. But I truly believe that this will help inform the public on what depression truly is and I highly recommend it.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was hard to read because of the detailed descriptions of her dark times. As someone who deals with depression, it's very familiar. However, it was worth it. It was comforting to read the account of someone else's struggles. It's always good to know you're not alone.

[Zen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great journey for me - an insider's soul telling me about depression. I now have a much better understanding of those who I know that suffer from mood disorders.

[Phyllis]

depression

[Denise Merritt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book perfectly described my own walk with depression -- I couldn't believe how parallel her path was with my own. I highlighted the entire book!

[Cyndee Cornell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great for anyone suffering from depression or if you know someone who is and you want to know more. Great descriptors for how a depressed person feels.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helped get me into counseling. 1997.

[Mary Samson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read about depression.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so much about depression as her life story. I didn't relate much.

[Alison]

Apparently I can't read books about mental illness when I'm having problems with a flare-up.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a good chapter to get into it and they are long chapters. Once I got past the first chapter it was an interesting read!

[Ngutierrez31 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the journey Tracy shares with us. It gives something to the soul to hear someone speak on things that most do not understand.

Heck yeah for you, Tracy! I loved your ending.

[Samuel Barringer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the book is very well written, and I find how Tracy explains depression to be very insightful.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating first-person account of what it's like to have mental illness (major depression).