This book has been recommended so many times over the last year. Honestly, I’m not really sure why. I seriously don’t think this would have helped, if I’d read peak depression.

I think the problem is that many people talk about it like it’s a self-help book. It’s not. It’s a memoir about mental illness, specifically Matt’s experience and his work towards recovery.

I imagine it’s helpful to anyone wanting to better understand an experience of declining mental health, if they’ve not suffered from any mental illness. Maybe his experiences are also something a person can relate to (feeling seen, not so alone in the void, etc), and there are a small number of pages that list activities/‘things’ he finds helpful to aid recovery (from p. 213 & from p. 238, in my copy; also a ‘how to be there for someone with depression or anxiety’ on p. 120).

So, if you’re looking for something to help you or someone you know, this is unlikely to be it. In fact, I’d argue much of it could be triggering.

That said, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. It is full of discussion points, anecdotes and general musings on what it is like for a person living with mental illness (in his case, a number of them).