My Sh*t Therapist and Other Mental Health Stories

Book Review by Rio Goodwin (2021)

My name is Rio Goodwin and I am a third year English Literature student. The Book My Mind initiative really stood out to me for a few reasons. Firstly, as an English Literature student I am an avid reader and usually enjoy anything that involves reading!

Secondly, since I was about 13 I have suffered quite badly with anxiety and depression but I have always found reading to be an activity that calms me when I’m anxious and cheers me up when I am having a bad day. Therefore, the idea that books can be used as therapeutic tools is intriguing to me and I am keen to see whether books can truly make a positive impact on the lives of people who suffer with mental illnesses.

The book I have chosen to review is ‘My Sh*t Therapist: And Other Mental Health Stories’ by Michelle Thomas. I decided on this book because I have encountered podcasts by Michelle Thomas and I find her approach to her mental illnesses to be quite similar to my own, this led me to believe that I would find her book relatable- and I really did.

I read this book in one sitting in my living room, in front of the fire, in the house that I share with my boyfriend. ‘My Sh*t Therapist’ walks the reader through Michelle’s personal struggle with depression and anxiety, and with chapter names such as: ‘My Sh*t Diagnosis’ and ‘My Sh*t Meds’ Michelle adopts a humorous tone when discussing her experiences with a mental illness.

The thing that I found most comforting about this book is the way that other people’s experiences were incorporated into Michelle’s story. There is something really reassuring about discovering other people’s experiences with mental health and realising that you are not alone.

I genuinely don’t think there is anything I disliked about this book, in my opinion it is honest, reassuring, and informative in all the right measures and at times it really made me laugh which I wasn’t expecting considering it’s a book about depression and anxiety.

At the end of the book Michelle presents a list of recommended reading along with a glossary and a list of sources that the reader can use to pursue any suggestions that she made when she was telling her story. The one feeling that stood out to me most when I finished this book was relief, but not relief that I had finished reading the book.

I was relieved to know that the things I have experienced in my life have been experienced by countless other people and there are always places that I can go to for help.

I believe that this book would be best suited to people who favour humour as a coping mechanism. Michelle has quite a dry sense of humour and the way that she discusses her anxiety and depression may not be to everyone’s tastes.

Now that I have learnt to live with my mental illnesses this book is both relatable and useful for me, but to people who have only recently been diagnosed the approach that Michelle takes may be quite overwhelming and confusing.

That being said, I would recommend this book to anyone who finds that a mixture of humour, and abruptness is the best way to tackle conversations surrounding mental illness. Being a third-year student I found Michelle’s frank discussion of her struggle in the workplace a useful one. One thing that really stuck with me, was the fact that in the workplace some employers are brilliant at dealing with mental illnesses while others are completely useless.

This is something that I really to keep in mind when I graduate this year. I have spent three years in an environment where I feel able to discuss my mental health openly, and where I know that help is readily available. I am unsure if this book would work well as a text used in a therapy group.

In my opinion, this book offers quite a niche approach to dealing with anxiety and depression which won’t necessarily be helpful to everyone. However, it worked for me. I could see a lot of myself in Michelle and this book has really comforted me at a time when I was feeling quite lonely and isolated from my usual support network.

As I mentioned earlier in this review, Michelle has a podcast which shares the name of her book, this podcast contains more people’s experiences with mental illness and makes great listening if this book is something that you can relate to.