We’re delighted to be sharing Elena’s thoughts about Get A Grip, Love by Kate Lucey.
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- Publisher : HQ (7 Jan. 2021)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 288 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0008401055
- ISBN-13 : 978-0008401054
We’re all talking about mental health a lot more now than we were ten years ago, which is great . . . isn’t it?
Kate Lucey has been ‘officially’ depressed (as in, diagnosed) for six years. In that time she’s experienced everything from bad therapy, knock-out meds, and friends-with-too-many-opinions, to good therapy, medication, and solutions that actually work.
This book recognises that getting help is not as easy as ‘just telling someone’ or ‘taking some pills’. It weaves real peoples’ experiences of depression with the opinions of actual qualified experts and facts from scientific studies to create a no-nonsense guide to mental health.
Funny, irreverent, and relatable, Get a Grip, Love also tells you what to say to those mates who fancy themselves as amateur psychologists, and speaks honestly about how it feels to live with a mental health disorder.
Crucially, as well as poking fun at mental illness and all its absurdities (because what are we without laughter, hey?), Kate reminds you that it’s fine not to feel ok. That you can go back to crying at any time. And that you do not need to get a grip.
Book Review
Get a Grip, Love is a wonderfully written, honest and informative guide to all things mental health and the challenges it brings.
The author uses her own experiences as well as those of other’s in a similar situation as hers and includes snippets of information and guidance from medical experts. It’s realistic and gives an insight into the struggling mind of someone with depression and ways you can help yourself or someone else suffering without being patronising.
She includes lots of examples of how people with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety get well-meaning advice and unhelpful comments such as ‘do more exercise’ and ‘drink less’ to ‘but you’re always so happy’ and ‘but your boyfriend/partner is so gorgeous’. There are guides as to how to respond to comments like these.
There is lots of practical advice and ways to help such as realistic self-care tips, what to expect when taking medication and the fact that it’s ok if all you managed to do was have a shower.
The author’s chatty, warm and funny writing style, coupled with her honest account of her own depression make this a superb guide for any young person struggling with their mental health.
Reading the book is like having a chat with a trusted friend.
No judgement, realistic ideas on how to deal with depression and humour make this an invaluable guide for millennials and I’m so happy to have read it and have also recommended it to my teenage daughter also so she may better understand herself or help those she’s close to.
Formerly the Editor of Cosmopolitan.co.uk and Sugarscape.com, Kate Lucey is a seasoned digital journalist and has worked with brands from Vice to The Sunday Times Style to advise on how to effectively talk to millennials today. She’s won an AOP Award (the Oscars of Digital Publishing) for her efforts, and has also written for industry publications like InPublishing. An experienced public speaker and panel mediator, Kate’s fully aware of what makes today’s millennials ‘click’, and how to create thumb-stopping content. She also writes a regular mental health column for Metro.
Her first book, GET A GRIP LOVE explores living with, and the possibility of overcoming mental health problems as a millennial. It is a no nonsense look at what actually works in the face of mental illness and how to tackle unhelpful or unsolicited advice from others. Twitter @katelucey_
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