Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy of this book. I’ so happy I was able to get an early copy of this book because I can relate way too much
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I finally finished the book!! I am excited about this book. I loved it and it was hilarious in some parts. This book talks about a woman's journey through mental illness. I can totally relate to her. I have a couple different mental illness and it is quite hard to find the right meds. I know about Prozac and all the tiny details it entails but it had work great for me until they took it off the shelves. Now I am on Wellabutran. Not sure how you spell it but it works great for me. When you read the book, I will guarantee you will say, yep did that, did this. You might also agree on a lot of things. You will laugh, cry and laugh some more. You will also be learning. In the back of the book i s s resource chapter and it explains everything.

I wasn't sure at all what to expect out of Prozac Monologues, but I ended up really enjoying it. Author Willa Goodfellow mixes in some of her own, sometimes manic, thoughts that she's truly had with legitimate research about the mental health crisis, specifically around medication and bipolar. She discusses her trials with a variety of different medications, some that makes her feel like a zombie and others that make her symptoms worse and make her consider suicide. She then blends in information about how the definitions of depression and bipolar have changed with the newest edition of the DSM. I've always been interested in psychology, so this book intrigued me from the beginning. Goodfellow then finishes up the book with references so you can go find your own information, as well as other resources to learn more about the topic. I recommend for anyone interested in psychology.

As someone who suffers from mental illness, this book really hit home. If you suffer from or know someone that that suffers from mental illness, this is a book you need to read.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!!
I found this memoir to be a highly insightful and realistic look into the life of someone struggling with mental illness and how medications can help or harm them. Once I began reading this title it did take me quite a while to finish reading it but at the end I was glad that I had the opportunity to read this.

I appreciate Ms. Goodfellow's efforts in documenting her experience of bipolar disorder. Her courage in sharing the depths of her journey is worthy of mention. She has certainly contributed to breaking down the stigmas of mental health.
I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't tolerate the tangential, circumstantial speech throughout its pages. The author reportedly wrote the book while in the midst of a manic phase, which explains the disorganized nature of the book. But decision not to edit the text while in at her baseline did not serve her well.
Thank to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance digital copy!

I hope to go back to this book one day.... I am not currently in the right headspace to appreciate it. The parts that were written while the author were on 'an up' exhausted me. This review is in no way a reflection of the author's brutal honesty and talent. I admire both. I just could not finish the book due to my own mental health battles. I applaud the tackle of the subject matter and hope others continue to take something from this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I enjoyed it. It was an insightful read, and still very much enjoyable seeing as the sardonic humour is exactly what I enjoy.
As someone who hasn't experienced any of these aspects, I found that the book explained a lot of the aspects in a way that can make those without it understand.
I loved learning more about this subject through such an interesting POV and will definitely recommend it for those who want to learn.

As someone who suffers from Bipolar Disorder, I found myself in the pages of this book. Goodfellow's words and how scattered this book was resonated with me in a way I have never felt while reading before. If you are looking for a glimpse into the world of someone who suffers from Bipolar, I cannot recommend this book highly enough! Read. It. Now!

When a description starts with the words, "She wanted to stab her doctor, but she wrote a book instead," i simply can't resist reading it. Hence requested and Netgalley and She Writes Press kindly granted me the ARC.

It is always interesting to read about mental disorders, especially bipolar disorder which no one seems to talk about much. Prozac Monologues describes (perfectly) the trials one faces when they have a mental illness.

Willa Goodfellow's story of continuous check-ups, diagnoses, misdiagnoses, treatments, and stigma is compelling and very raw. Her struggle comes through the pages. Even at the end, I am not sure she was diagnosed correctly.

The writing is good, though jumpy in parts when Goodfellow was in her manic phases. It is heart wrenching to see her struggle while the others just label and stigmatize.

Do read if you have suffered from a mental illness or a close one has while you looked on helplessly.

I didn't finish reading Willa Goodfellow's Prozac Monologues. I didn't care for the way she discussed mental illness, and it was a bit too triggering for me.

As someone who has dealt with mental illness almost my whole life, this book really impacted me. Finally a book that deals with the intense ride of of trying to figure out a true diagnoses, and the right combination of meds to really make a difference. I can relate to Willa more than any other person in a memoir as I did in this one. As a high functioning bipolar woman, I understand just where she is coming from. For years I was given just prozac which kept me in a constant state of mania. This book made me feel like I'm not along and I'm so grateful the chance to read this.

Thank you #Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

“Prozac Monologues” is a book about the ups and downs of the Bipolar spectrum. But it’s also a book about becoming self-aware. And how to be your own mental health advocate.

Did you know that at any given time about 1 in 20 of us “just feel like crap?” We’re in our pajamas, don’t want to leave the house and feel a bit hopeless.

The good news is that doctors and pharmaceutical companies want to get us out of our said pajamas. After all, it will keep them employed and bringing in billions of revenue. The downside is that a lot of folks—like author Willa Goodfellow—are being misdiagnosed and mistreated with medication that make them feel even worse.

That’s why Goodfellow wrote this book. To take us on her journey of how she went through six different antidepressants, and countless doctors and psychiatrists, before getting really honest with her medical providers in order to be diagnosed with Bipolar II.

A former Priest, Goodfellow is quite funny, and I enjoyed her comedic wit. That said, half of “Prozac Monologues” is VERY hard to read. I didn’t love the essay sections that were written over a three-week time period when she was “up” or manic. Her thoughts are a bit nutty. Her continuous stream of words, ideas and sentences last for days. It sort of felt like hanging out with someone who drank a case of beer even though I was stone cold sober. It wasn't fun, but I got the point. I much preferred the sections titled “A Voice from the Edge.” Those were more educational, organized thoughts that were, dare I say, “normal”?

“Prozac Monologues” is part-memoir, and part mental health research guide. I recommend it if you’re on your pharmaceutical quest for happiness. And especially if you’re still in your pajamas at 5pm and need the motivational and/or chemical kick-in-the-butt to get showered and out the door. It's also a great read to learn more about the Bipolar spectrum.


Thanks to NetGalley, Goodfellow and She Writes Press for the electronic copy in exchange for my honest review.

I could not finish this book. I am not really sure what it’s point is, except, perhaps, to meander around in the maze of getting an appropriate psychiatric diagnosis. Written in a primarily stream of consciousness style, the author either purposefully twists the reader around so that the reader understands the merry go round of bipolar disorder, or to get a laugh (it’s not funny), or make a buck. There are much better ways to bring a reader into and along this difficult challenge.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

A raw real look at the pain of mental illness the paralyzingl fear depression can cause.The author shares her personal story would be a eye opening read for anyone who suffers from depression.,If you know someone suffering this would be helpful eye opening for you to read .Help with understanding compassion,#netgalleyprozacmomologues

Any book summary that begins with, "She was going to stab her doctor, but she wrote a book instead." will catch my attention. Prozac Monologues is Willa Goodfellow's account of an antidepressant-induced hypomania, missed diagnosis of Bipolar 2, wrong medications and process of recovery. Part self-help, part memoir, Willa lets her voice from the edge be heard through essays.

I hate to sound like an infomercial but, if you or a loved one has more than depression, antidepressant side effects, curious about mental illness or lives with Bipolar disorder then Prozac Monologues may be for you. Be warned that it is very hard to follow (hence the low rating). I get the impression that the author was going through a manic episode while writing so some essays are disjointed, jumping from one topic to another without a smooth transition. An editor was needed to organize the scrambled thoughts on paper drafted in only two weeks. But again, you may already be familiar with the manic flow if you or someone you love is on the Bipolar spectrum. Give it a try if you can get past this.

LiteraryMarie

Prozac Monologues is a refreshingly raw and brutally honest look at the trials and tribulations, ups and downs and the rollercoaster of emotions associated with mental health issues, and in particular with regard to Ms Goodfellow bipolar disorder. Given most of us experience such issues in our lifetime or know someone who has experienced such troubles this book serves as a reminder that you are not alone in the struggle. As someone who went through many, many years of misdiagnosis after misdiagnosis in relation to physical symptoms, rather than mental, I can definitely empathise with Willa and feel her pain rise from the pages when detailing the disheartening feelings that come with been repeatedly labelled, stigmatised and prodded and poked for a decade before finally being diagnosed with an illness that somewhat fits your symptoms and even now I'm not fully convinced they got it right.

One thing I hear time and time again is that you shouldn't feel afraid or anxious to come forward and seek professional help should you need it in terms of your mental health and many proclaim you'll not be judged; unfortunately, it still remains that there is a stigma attached to mental health problems no matter where you live in the world. This shouldn't be the case but it is and it stops many coming forward. This isn't a book you enjoy per se but one that is important with its part memoir part self-help guide really having a lot of interesting information to share. I was surprised at the humour throughout but as they say — laughter is the best medicine. My only real gripe, which I probably should've seen coming, was that it was quite chaotic in places but it was apparently written during a time of mania so that makes logical sense.

I commend the author on a unique, insightful and refreshingly sincere look into the life of someone living with bipolar disorder, and I truly hope she continues to thrive now she has the correct diagnosis. Thank you for sharing your story, Willa. Many thanks to She Writes Press for an ARC.

I picked up this book because of my own mental health misdiagnosis and recovery from being treated wrongly for depression for many years, simply because many mental health practitioners can't be bothered enough to even look beyond depression and anxiety for other signs like ADHD, or bipolar as in Willa Goodfellow's case. This is a book, I wish I'd had the guts to write. If you've been diagnosed for a mental illness and haven't gotten better, I bet you'd recognize yourself in this book, whether it's bipolar or something else. Just "hearing" Ms Goodfellow's inner dialogue will remind you that you're not alone.

Actually a quite interesting read. Knowing someone who's dealt with bi-polar as well as studied it I was very interested in reading this book and a lot of it sounded very true the struggle one goes through with being Bi-Polar. The book did get a little long towards the middle and seemed a bit repetitive, although that was necessary upon finishing the book and helped drive home the whole point of it all. I think this is a great read and especially doctors out there should read it as many of them (as talked about in the book) get very quick to submit and throw scripts at people assuming they're just depressed, or anxious or some other BS reason because they're forced or want to get through as many patients as possible. This is a great lesson to listen to your body and for people to listen when people are trying to tell you something.

This was a really enlightening book by Episcopal, sweet corn loving Willa Goodfellow. Who spent many years on a journey to a true diagnosis, self care, and the right medication. I'm not a really big non-fiction reader and I try to stay away from mental health books just because of my own depression, anxiety, and occasional (undiagnosed) manic episodes because reading about it tends to be a bit of a trigger, but I'm glad I read this one. Reading the inner thought of someone in the throws of mania and withdrawal from Prozac was one of the most illuminating things I've ever read. Along with the mania there are after notes from when the author is in recovery mode and goes back and explains her ramblings in a more coherent way. Throughout the book there are statistics and studies sprinkled in without it being too overwhelming or "educational". There are a ton of fantastic resources, from books to podcasts to support groups if you or someone you know may be suffering from Bipolar disorder or depression. We learn that the steps to recovery are crisis, rebuilding, and transformation. And most importantly we learn that you never...EVER...put margarine on sweet corn.

This review will be available on my blog 8/21/20