Diversity in All Forms! discussion

The diversity topic/theme we will be reading in November is Mental Health. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

I read this book during the month of October. I jumped ahead because my reading list is tight for November.

I was hesitant to read this story because of the memories it would recall. I find the book handled with humor and tact the issues of anxiety, depression and suicide. I am grateful to the author for writing about these issues.

Below is my review:
Review of It's Kind of a Funny Story

Thank you both for your reviews! I wasn't sure about reading this one as it's not available in my library network and I'm already completely snowed under with work-related reading and my personal TBR forest. However hearing your thoughts made me change my mind. Thank you for sharing and thanks Mariah for organising!

I finished the novel today. It is great teen book. If kids or adults are suffering from clinical depression and too much self-imposed ‘shoulda coulda’ anxieties, I woulda give them a copy or recommend this book. However, the author killed himself at age 32. It sorta sours the overall positive message of the book.

I guess for me, the message is when you feel suicidal, life can be too hard even if you are successful in a career, or have survived several attempts and have seen a psychiatrist. Not exactly what I am supposed to think, but there I am. Keep trying, though, I believe the author meant.

If you have a kid and want a positive book about suicidal depression, this book is good one actually, but a parent or concerned friend might want to forbid the kid to google the author (1981-2013).

I didn't realize that Ned Vizzini killed himself. That is so awful.

I read this book in 2012. Here is my review from then. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Back then I had just graduated high school, so I may have had a different perspective than if I reread it now. We will see if I get around to reading it again in the future.

Has anyone read any other his other books?

Also has anyone seen the movie? If so would you recommend it?

Mariah, thanks for the invite to the group! Here is my review of this very important book:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I was drawn to this book iniitially having read about the author and his suicide. Tragic. Great writer. I like any type of awareness to the plight of mental health, it's very important.

I was just wondering if anyone takes the meaning of the book in a different way since the authors suicide? When I first read the novel is seemed so hopeful, however reading it for a second time after Vizzini's death makes the ending seem almost hopeless?

Emmy wrote: "I was just wondering if anyone takes the meaning of the book in a different way since the authors suicide? When I first read the novel is seemed so hopeful, however reading it for a second time aft..."

No, it didn't make a difference in how I viewed the ending. I can understand completely Craig's sense of freedom from the hospital and his feelings of a fresh start.

Emmy wrote: "I was just wondering if anyone takes the meaning of the book in a different way since the authors suicide? When I first read the novel is seemed so hopeful, however reading it for a second time aft..."

Reading about the author's suicide definitely affected how I perceived the book. Though I ultimately enjoyed it, I found myself thinking about Ned Vizzini's tragic end even during the more hopeful parts of the book. I don't know much about depression, but I was quite surprised that someone could write such a happy ending to a book such as this one and still off themselves. It did put a bit of a damper in the ending for me.

I did feel differently because I knew he did commit suicide after all. I am much more pessimistic about treatments actually working, including psychiatric counseling and drugs. Not that I would express it to someone who was experiencing a bad time, of course. But having had friends with 4th stage cancers, as well as knowing alcoholics and drug addicts who simply could never stop no matter what they tried, and they died, I truly have lost much of youthful optimism (I am in my 60's, and a child of the Baby Boomer generation.)

Wow! I didn't know that Ned Vizzini committed suicide until you said that and I looked it up. That puts a different light on the book, but I still have to look at the book itself not knowing the author's tragic history. The hero of the story had a lot of pre-suicidal behavior - precipitously stopping his meds, doing a lot of marajuana at a young age, etc. Now it all makes sense. The book must have been largely autobiographical.

I don't think that we should get a take-away message that seeking treatment is futile. It doesn't always work but sometimes it does. In the book, however, before checking himself into the hospital, Craig was sabotaging his treatment. He stopped taking his pills, hung out with kids whose friendship was toxic to him, and did a lot of marijuana at a vulnerable age without acknowledging it so that the drug abuse was a part of his treatment.

I wonder if in the author's real life, he did the same thing. I'm a retired clinical social worker. I had some clients who came to see me to vent but didn't always follow through on suggestions or solutions that may have helped. Their healing took much longer or in some cases didn't happen. If someone went to the doctor for strep, got a prescription for antibiotics, and then didn't take them, they wouldn't blame the doctor if they didn't get better. The take home message shouldn't be don't bother with treatment. It should be follow through on the treatment.

Lisa, I agree with what you said. The mental health treatment plans do not work if the patient does not follow them. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. But in those cases the mental health doctor is working to find the right combination of drugs and therapy for each patient. In my own case, it took a while to find the right medications to treat my bipolar. I see a counselor once a month. Thankfully for me, we found the right combination of medication and therapy, which I follow religiously. The suicidal thoughts are not as prevalent as they once were.

It's Kind of a Funny Story I can relate too. Just because the author committed suicide should not denounce the book. If it is an autobiographical story, it happened at a time of his youth. The fact that he was in a mental hospital speaks volumes to me of the book's authenticity, coupled with my own experiences. I can feel for the author's struggle with his mental illness, and the mental pain he must have been in to commit suicide, but I feel the book should stand on its own merits.

Here is what happened to Ned Vizzini:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_V...

He was a patient in a psychiatric ward in his 20's. The book was probably autobiographical. He tried everything, it looks like.

From what I understand, Clinical Depression is a physical problem, a cause not an effect. It is mostly a chemical imbalance, I guess, but while a component of brain function, it often is mixed in with other components, like the chemical/wiring brain misfiring which causes bipolar, obsessive disorders. It is about how neurons are fed the necessary biochemicals which create mood in synaptic connections - too much or too little dopamine or serotonin, too much re-absorption, or too slow in re-absorbing into a neuron.

Please correct me if I am wrong, I am no professional.

I hesitate to call Clinical Depression a symptom, because it seems to me CD is more like a broken leg, and not the pain from the broken leg. The pain is the symptom, but the cause is the broken leg. What I mean is, there is the cause Clinical Depression (the neuron malfunction), with the symptom of depression (the created emotion) as the effect, sotospeak.

Drugs to treat Clinical Depression are trying to help dendrites re- absorb the brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine in the correct way, right? Or something like. Clinical Depression seems like a mechanical problem of the brain, not a problem of soul or spirit.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuron

It's mostly true but depression is often triggered by life events, situations, or circumstances. Medication without other supports isn't as effective. People who are clinically depressed need those supports such as counseling, support groups, etc. In the book, which was apparently autobiographical, Craig realized the pressure from his school was a major factor contributing to his depression and so he decided to change schools. It seemed that he also decided to stay away from friendships that were toxic to him. The drug usage was also a problem which he implied he was going to stop. He never admitted that he was doing drugs and never got help with that. His parents were supportive which was a strong positive in his life.

I might add that having both clinical depression and drug abuse at such an early age wasn't good for his prognosis.

I read this book probably 8 years ago. During the time I was in high school and I was dealing with my own issues with depression and anxiety. This book helped me during this time by giving me a character I was invested in that I could root for. The hopeful ending in this book gave me hope for myself and encouragement to carry on through my own difficulties. Hearing news of the author's suicide affected me and the way I view the book now. Fighting depression is a constant battle that those who suffer have to continuously work to treat. Sometimes people lose that battle for some reason or another, but that doesn't diminish the hopeful message of the book. I think the author intended to give that message of hope for others and may not have been able to continue having that hope for himself.

“I think the author intended to give that message of hope for others and may not have been able to continue having that hope for himself. “

I completely agree, Christine.

Christine wrote: "I read this book probably 8 years ago. During the time I was in high school and I was dealing with my own issues with depression and anxiety. This book helped me during this time by giving me a cha..."

Thank you, Christine, for writing your comment with such a personal message. I believe you've said it right about the author.

Christine wrote: "I read this book probably 8 years ago. During the time I was in high school and I was dealing with my own issues with depression and anxiety. This book helped me during this time by giving me a cha..."

I agree with you Christine. Especially that you need to evaluate the book as a book, not assessing it based on what happened to the author afterwards.