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Depression and How to Survive It
'Anyone worried about a depressed friend or relative should read this book'
DAILY TELEGRAPH
In 1982, leading psychiatrist and TV presenter Anthony Clare interviewed Spike Milligan for the radio series In The Psychiatrist's Chair. He was so overwhelmed by Milligan's account of his forty years of depressive experiences that he knew he had found the right person to help him illuminate and explore the mysterious and sometimes terrifying condition that is clinical depression.
Depression and How to Survive It charts the development of world-famous comedian Spike Milligan's clinical depression and the strategies he used in dealing with the often-misunderstood disorder.
Drawing inspiration and advice from Spike's experience, this unique book from one of Britain's most successful psychiatrists, will take you to the depths of human unhappiness and show you the way towards leading a happy life.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
In 1982, leading psychiatrist and TV presenter Anthony Clare interviewed Spike Milligan for the radio series In The Psychiatrist's Chair. He was so overwhelmed by Milligan's account of his forty years of depressive experiences that he knew he had found the right person to help him illuminate and explore the mysterious and sometimes terrifying condition that is clinical depression.
Depression and How to Survive It charts the development of world-famous comedian Spike Milligan's clinical depression and the strategies he used in dealing with the often-misunderstood disorder.
Drawing inspiration and advice from Spike's experience, this unique book from one of Britain's most successful psychiatrists, will take you to the depths of human unhappiness and show you the way towards leading a happy life.
218 pages, Paperback
Published February 3, 1994
18 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Clare
29 booksAnthony Ward Clare was an Irish psychiatrist well known in the UK and Ireland as a presenter of radio and TV programmes. Clare held a doctorate in medicine and a master's degree in philosophy, and was a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Author of several popular books on psychiatry, Clare held the positions of Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Trinity College, Dublin and Medical Director of St. Patrick's Hospital, Dublin. His first media appearances were on the light-hearted BBC Radio 4 current affairs programme Stop the Week. He was also for many years the voice of the BBC popular science programme QED. Clare became famous for his probing interviews on radio and television with well-known figures in several series of BBC's In the Psychiatrist's Chair.
Author of several popular books on psychiatry, Clare held the positions of Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Trinity College, Dublin and Medical Director of St. Patrick's Hospital, Dublin. His first media appearances were on the light-hearted BBC Radio 4 current affairs programme Stop the Week. He was also for many years the voice of the BBC popular science programme QED. Clare became famous for his probing interviews on radio and television with well-known figures in several series of BBC's In the Psychiatrist's Chair.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 16, 2014
Fascinating book. Although I'm sure a bit out of date, the analysis of research into causes and treatments is particularly interesting, liberally sprinkled with biography and transcripts from Milligan to keep it from becoming too dry. Particularly worth a read for people who have never suffered a prolonged or severe episode of depression, mania or anxiety, and it's on that basis that I'd quite like to metaphorically thwack a few people over the head with it.
July 28, 2012
Book 16/52 for 2012, review cross-posted to my blog.
Let's start with the two most frustrating aspects of this book, both of which appear on the front cover. Yes, I judged this book by its cover, and it came up short! First, the placement of the two "authors'" names gives the impression that this is a book written by Spike Milligan and Anthony Clare (the late psychiatrist and friend of Milligan) on depression. In actual fact, this is a book by Anthony Clare on depression, featuring Spike Milligan as a case study (he suffered from bipolar disorder). There is little humour, which isn't reflected in the exterior of the book. As someone interested in how humour can be used as a coping mechanism, I found it a bit disappointing. Not that I expect comedians, especially the depressed ones, to be constantly playing it for laughs - it just would have been better if the cover had reflected the contents a bit more closely.
Second, the "how to survive it" part of the title doesn't really match up with the book's content. While treatment is discussed, it's in more of an informative, clinical manner than an instructional, therapeutic one. Milligan, sadly, wasn't a paragon of recovery, so his own story doesn't have much to offer in this respect. Though every experience is valid and it's important to show the nature of depression as a serious, sometimes lifelong illness, I worry about someone having difficulties picking up this book and not finding the help they needed and were lead to expect. I definitely wouldn't recommend this book to someone who needed help with surviving!
Having said that, this isn't a bad book - it's actually very good at being an accessible textbook on depression. Honestly, there isn't much in it that you won't know already if you know even a little about depression, but it's presented very lucidly and efficiently. One point in particular stuck out to me as something I hadn't previously considered: how depression can take your worst characteristics and magnify them. In Milligan's case, that characteristic was misanthropy (with a side order of racism). I had never really thought of things in that way before and it's helped me to consolidate some of my experiences, both of people who've been abusive towards me because of their own problems and of my own personality shifts in the face of mental ill-health.
Even though it wasn't what I expected, I did think the format of a broader medical explanation paired with a case study worked well. It demonstrates the twin characteristics of depression as a very common disease and a very individual one. The case study shows that Milligan wasn't an especially pleasant person; the more general majority of the text makes it clear that not everyone is affected in the same way.
It was quite alarming, though sadly not surprising, how many of the points in this eighteen year old book are still applicable today. All the arguments that anti-stigma campaigns are currently tackling were represented. In response to the all-too-common claim that depression is the confine of rich, self-indulgent people, Clare cites studies that demonstrate rates of depression in developing countries are just as high as, or even higher than, in developed ones. It's so much harder to argue when your opponent cites their sources. (I still don't know how to format "the voices in my head" in BibTeX.) The idea of mental illness being automatically less than physical illness is also interestingly handled. This quote in particular stood out:
Another quote that I found striking came from one of Milligan's comedy partners. Its inaccuracy - and at the same time its familiarity - is cringe-worthy to the extreme.
The book ends on a low note from Milligan, in keeping with the rest of his contribution. He talks about how he sees no value in having had depression despite its very small mercies, how it ruins so many lives and, that while it's comforting to know that the outlook is slowly shifting, it's still not shifting quickly enough. I reiterate that this is not a book for people who need to be uplifted! At the same time, it's almost refreshing to hear someone really acknowledge just how horrible depression is and that, in many cases, all the "learned lessons" in the world can't mitigate that. It was also good to see a treatment of depression that didn't involve a cure, and especially not one that involved simply exercising a bit or any other such nonsense.
Despite the initial disappointments I mentioned, I found many aspects of this book valuable. A lot of it was familiar ground, but considering the amount of time that's passed since its publication (and the amount of ground I've covered myself!) I'd be surprised if it wasn't. I appreciated its scientific slant, unfortunately a rarity in non-clinical mental health literature. However, the disparity between the book's alleged content and its actual content was a little too off-putting to be counteracted by these positive aspects. I would probably have enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn't felt so misled.
Let's start with the two most frustrating aspects of this book, both of which appear on the front cover. Yes, I judged this book by its cover, and it came up short! First, the placement of the two "authors'" names gives the impression that this is a book written by Spike Milligan and Anthony Clare (the late psychiatrist and friend of Milligan) on depression. In actual fact, this is a book by Anthony Clare on depression, featuring Spike Milligan as a case study (he suffered from bipolar disorder). There is little humour, which isn't reflected in the exterior of the book. As someone interested in how humour can be used as a coping mechanism, I found it a bit disappointing. Not that I expect comedians, especially the depressed ones, to be constantly playing it for laughs - it just would have been better if the cover had reflected the contents a bit more closely.
Second, the "how to survive it" part of the title doesn't really match up with the book's content. While treatment is discussed, it's in more of an informative, clinical manner than an instructional, therapeutic one. Milligan, sadly, wasn't a paragon of recovery, so his own story doesn't have much to offer in this respect. Though every experience is valid and it's important to show the nature of depression as a serious, sometimes lifelong illness, I worry about someone having difficulties picking up this book and not finding the help they needed and were lead to expect. I definitely wouldn't recommend this book to someone who needed help with surviving!
Having said that, this isn't a bad book - it's actually very good at being an accessible textbook on depression. Honestly, there isn't much in it that you won't know already if you know even a little about depression, but it's presented very lucidly and efficiently. One point in particular stuck out to me as something I hadn't previously considered: how depression can take your worst characteristics and magnify them. In Milligan's case, that characteristic was misanthropy (with a side order of racism). I had never really thought of things in that way before and it's helped me to consolidate some of my experiences, both of people who've been abusive towards me because of their own problems and of my own personality shifts in the face of mental ill-health.
Even though it wasn't what I expected, I did think the format of a broader medical explanation paired with a case study worked well. It demonstrates the twin characteristics of depression as a very common disease and a very individual one. The case study shows that Milligan wasn't an especially pleasant person; the more general majority of the text makes it clear that not everyone is affected in the same way.
It was quite alarming, though sadly not surprising, how many of the points in this eighteen year old book are still applicable today. All the arguments that anti-stigma campaigns are currently tackling were represented. In response to the all-too-common claim that depression is the confine of rich, self-indulgent people, Clare cites studies that demonstrate rates of depression in developing countries are just as high as, or even higher than, in developed ones. It's so much harder to argue when your opponent cites their sources. (I still don't know how to format "the voices in my head" in BibTeX.) The idea of mental illness being automatically less than physical illness is also interestingly handled. This quote in particular stood out:
Simon Wessely, points out that arguments over the status of ME most revealingly indicate how persistent is the idea that dubbing a condition 'psychiatric' is tantamount to declaring it a non-disease. (Page 94)
Another quote that I found striking came from one of Milligan's comedy partners. Its inaccuracy - and at the same time its familiarity - is cringe-worthy to the extreme.
He's an extraordinarily sane person,' Michael Bentine is quoted as saying of his fellow-Goon, adding, 'It's nonsense he's a nut. A nut isn't a shrewd businessman, a nut can't write a television series, a nut can't take up issues and see them through, and anyone must be nutty who thinks he is.' (Page 60)
The book ends on a low note from Milligan, in keeping with the rest of his contribution. He talks about how he sees no value in having had depression despite its very small mercies, how it ruins so many lives and, that while it's comforting to know that the outlook is slowly shifting, it's still not shifting quickly enough. I reiterate that this is not a book for people who need to be uplifted! At the same time, it's almost refreshing to hear someone really acknowledge just how horrible depression is and that, in many cases, all the "learned lessons" in the world can't mitigate that. It was also good to see a treatment of depression that didn't involve a cure, and especially not one that involved simply exercising a bit or any other such nonsense.
Despite the initial disappointments I mentioned, I found many aspects of this book valuable. A lot of it was familiar ground, but considering the amount of time that's passed since its publication (and the amount of ground I've covered myself!) I'd be surprised if it wasn't. I appreciated its scientific slant, unfortunately a rarity in non-clinical mental health literature. However, the disparity between the book's alleged content and its actual content was a little too off-putting to be counteracted by these positive aspects. I would probably have enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn't felt so misled.
March 29, 2025
Anthony Clare was a TV and radio psychiatrist who would chat to celebrities regarding their neuroses in the public forum. One of his most troubled cases was that of comedian Spike Milligan. Together, they attempt to destigmatise and describe the feelings of dark depression. Despite its date of publication (1994) I found this book to be very insightful, and interesting. It is expected to call such scientific books “outdated” but I fail to see any dramatic shifts in depression discourse?
Already, CBT was at the forefront, suggesting we can access reality via a less negative state of truth. Of course this is subjective and Colin Feltham would suggest these so called errors in judgement instead constitute Depressive Realism: Interdisciplinary perspectives
The reconstructive therapies literally attempt to create new personalities for the patient. Our idea of self is a loose collection of habitual behaviours, often influenced by hormones and fleeting biochemical functions at the subconscious level. Perhaps we can best hope to lug around our predilections and “personality” with some of the sharper edges worn away.
Spike was a passionate overpopulation activist and is furious with Anthony for having bred seven children. It turns out Spike himself has fathered at least six. That would be a Jungian projection of his own guilt then.
“I see no value in my having been depressed…It is a dreadful scourge that has caused me terrible pain…it is a disease no question of that and one, which like all the others, demands to be understood and relieved. Yes, of course I have learned who my true friends are and who can stay by me in my worst times….it does help to know that there are others and that slowly people…are beginning to learn something about it. But it has been around an awfully long time, a lot of people are suffering and it is about bloody time we took it seriously.”
Already, CBT was at the forefront, suggesting we can access reality via a less negative state of truth. Of course this is subjective and Colin Feltham would suggest these so called errors in judgement instead constitute Depressive Realism: Interdisciplinary perspectives
The reconstructive therapies literally attempt to create new personalities for the patient. Our idea of self is a loose collection of habitual behaviours, often influenced by hormones and fleeting biochemical functions at the subconscious level. Perhaps we can best hope to lug around our predilections and “personality” with some of the sharper edges worn away.
Spike was a passionate overpopulation activist and is furious with Anthony for having bred seven children. It turns out Spike himself has fathered at least six. That would be a Jungian projection of his own guilt then.
“I see no value in my having been depressed…It is a dreadful scourge that has caused me terrible pain…it is a disease no question of that and one, which like all the others, demands to be understood and relieved. Yes, of course I have learned who my true friends are and who can stay by me in my worst times….it does help to know that there are others and that slowly people…are beginning to learn something about it. But it has been around an awfully long time, a lot of people are suffering and it is about bloody time we took it seriously.”
May 3, 2018
We all know Spike Milligan, and most of us know of his struggle with depression.
I've been a fan of Anthony Clare for a long time, despite him being a rather old-fashioned psychiatrist. His 'In the psychiatrist's chair' series of interviews were absolutely fascinating. One of the most interesting, and terrifying, was his interview with Jimmy Saville - I was actually surprised they aired it, as Saville made it so absolutely clear that he was a dangerous psychopath ( xhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iHMV... ).
This sort of collaboration between doctor and patient in writing a book is, understandably because of doctor - patient confidentiality, quite rare. So it is all the more valuable for that.
Anthony Clare writes with his usual direct, warm style, but it's the descriptions of the inner experience of depression that are so interesting and useful. In particular, how easy it is to have depression, for quite some time, and be quite unaware of it.
I was also interested by the fact that Spike's final recovery, just as the book was being completed, coincided with lithium being added to his treatment. Lithium has some very nasty side-effects, and needs to be monitored regularly and, as a consequence, psychiatrists are reluctant to prescribe it, apart from for refractory, or extreme, cases. It's also not a patent medicine so the pharmacology reps are not pushing its benefits to psychiatrists - sadly the movement for doctors never to see reps has not taken off universally.
When suffering from depression (rather than 'being depressed'), it's easy to feel you are alone, and have some sort of ghastly non-psychiatric malady. It is useful to see that this is a common experience.
It's also useful to see how powerfully effective Lithium can be. In my case, it helped me turn the corner. I had the normal dose for a while, and the side-effects were horrible, but it worked. I was able to persuade my doctor to prescribe a much lower dose, well below that requiring regular tests, that doesn't cause me any side-effects, but is helping considerably in my return to normalcy. Stories like this help me, not by encouraging me to ruminate (which is to be avoided!), but by reassuring me that the way Lithium works so magically is not an illusion that may melt away.
I think this would be a good book for anybody with depression to read - but, even more so, for anybody living with somebody with depression, of who has a friend with depression. Most particularly the last. The book give excellent advice on how to help a friend or relative with depression, which is invaluable, because it is not at all an easy matter.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0031RS21...
I've been a fan of Anthony Clare for a long time, despite him being a rather old-fashioned psychiatrist. His 'In the psychiatrist's chair' series of interviews were absolutely fascinating. One of the most interesting, and terrifying, was his interview with Jimmy Saville - I was actually surprised they aired it, as Saville made it so absolutely clear that he was a dangerous psychopath ( xhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iHMV... ).
This sort of collaboration between doctor and patient in writing a book is, understandably because of doctor - patient confidentiality, quite rare. So it is all the more valuable for that.
Anthony Clare writes with his usual direct, warm style, but it's the descriptions of the inner experience of depression that are so interesting and useful. In particular, how easy it is to have depression, for quite some time, and be quite unaware of it.
I was also interested by the fact that Spike's final recovery, just as the book was being completed, coincided with lithium being added to his treatment. Lithium has some very nasty side-effects, and needs to be monitored regularly and, as a consequence, psychiatrists are reluctant to prescribe it, apart from for refractory, or extreme, cases. It's also not a patent medicine so the pharmacology reps are not pushing its benefits to psychiatrists - sadly the movement for doctors never to see reps has not taken off universally.
When suffering from depression (rather than 'being depressed'), it's easy to feel you are alone, and have some sort of ghastly non-psychiatric malady. It is useful to see that this is a common experience.
It's also useful to see how powerfully effective Lithium can be. In my case, it helped me turn the corner. I had the normal dose for a while, and the side-effects were horrible, but it worked. I was able to persuade my doctor to prescribe a much lower dose, well below that requiring regular tests, that doesn't cause me any side-effects, but is helping considerably in my return to normalcy. Stories like this help me, not by encouraging me to ruminate (which is to be avoided!), but by reassuring me that the way Lithium works so magically is not an illusion that may melt away.
I think this would be a good book for anybody with depression to read - but, even more so, for anybody living with somebody with depression, of who has a friend with depression. Most particularly the last. The book give excellent advice on how to help a friend or relative with depression, which is invaluable, because it is not at all an easy matter.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0031RS21...
February 13, 2021
Spike Milligan was arguably 'our' finest comedian. Anyone who has served in the British Armed Forces will immediately 'take' to his comedy: The Goon Show series and his WW2 war memoirs are particularly hilarious. He suffered PTSD (shell-shock as it was) in Italy in WW2 and that may have been the cause of his life-long battle with melancholy. This honest and open appraisal by Milligan and his Doctor is a both an essential insight into the man but also insight into his mind. It is raw and honest and therefore most helpful to one who has struggled too.
As I look on my wall I have a Spike Milligan calendar hanging. He was an outstanding artist, musician, historian but above all sharp-witted. He fought for land reform in London and Australia - his second home. I hope to God he is at peace.
As I look on my wall I have a Spike Milligan calendar hanging. He was an outstanding artist, musician, historian but above all sharp-witted. He fought for land reform in London and Australia - his second home. I hope to God he is at peace.
May 20, 2020
As the second book that I bought from finding the cheapest books in any category on abebooks, that seemed to have been a worthwhile exercise. Fascinating and very empathetically written, in plain accessible language with a foundation of science and thorough, holistic approaches to possible treatments and causes. It would be wonderful if this could be updated despite Milligan's passing with new scientific discoveries, but it remains an important time capsule. An especially affecting book considering the limitations of its age, and the fact I am only briefly acquainted with Milligan, who I thought would only have forwarded this book rather than been the basis for it.
July 21, 2021
This book is apparently relatively recent, but a lot of the attitudes in it are kind of outdated. That’s not to say that they’re espoused by the authors though, but I think that a lot of the studies that they cited that talked about the stigma against depression are less relevant these days. That’s not to say that there isn’t still a stigma, but I think there’s already a much better understanding.
It’s kind of a weird book, because it’s a combination between a biography of Spike Milligan and a how-to guide that’s designed to help people to cope with it. I haven’t really come across anything similar to it, but I also think there’s probably a good reason for that. I’m still not convinced that it works.
Still, as a sufferer of depression myself, I felt like there was a lot for me to take away from it. And besides, I’m slowly but surely working my way through all of Milligan’s books, and so this was just another one that needed ticking off. I probably put it off for a little longer than I needed to.
It’s kind of a weird book, because it’s a combination between a biography of Spike Milligan and a how-to guide that’s designed to help people to cope with it. I haven’t really come across anything similar to it, but I also think there’s probably a good reason for that. I’m still not convinced that it works.
Still, as a sufferer of depression myself, I felt like there was a lot for me to take away from it. And besides, I’m slowly but surely working my way through all of Milligan’s books, and so this was just another one that needed ticking off. I probably put it off for a little longer than I needed to.
February 28, 2020
Book made me feel like I was living in the 1950s. Don't like to feel like that. Also made me feel slightly depressed. Don't like that neither.
Feel sorry for Spike. Not for his depression, but for the way this book made me feel about him. I didn't feel bad. Not really. More like sad. Not a happy feeling.
People are people. All shapes, sizes, colours and dispositions. Spike was a people.
Plus, having been written in 1992 (which suddenly seems like an age ago) it's all kind of out of date. At least, I hope it is. Hope they know more about depression now. Hope they've cured it for them as what want cures. Like what Spike did.
Sad.
Read this if you want to know how they did it in days gone by. Read another, more recent book if you want the latest news. Also, don't read it if you're a fan of Spike (or his humour).
Feel sorry for Spike. Not for his depression, but for the way this book made me feel about him. I didn't feel bad. Not really. More like sad. Not a happy feeling.
People are people. All shapes, sizes, colours and dispositions. Spike was a people.
Plus, having been written in 1992 (which suddenly seems like an age ago) it's all kind of out of date. At least, I hope it is. Hope they know more about depression now. Hope they've cured it for them as what want cures. Like what Spike did.
Sad.
Read this if you want to know how they did it in days gone by. Read another, more recent book if you want the latest news. Also, don't read it if you're a fan of Spike (or his humour).
January 8, 2024
The chapters on depression in general are dated but the ones specifically about Milligan’s experience of mental health challenges are really interesting
July 14, 2024
For six months, I lived in Cranleigh, England at the time George Harrison died. I was able to frequent the lovely little library there. I read plenty of books there, but this is the one that sticks out in my mind the most, nearly twenty years later.
I was born and raised in America. I currently live in America, though I felt most at home in England. I have endogenous recurring depression, also called major depression. I'd been a fan of Monty Python since my childhood, and learned that the Pythons had been inspired by The Goon Show (not to be confused with The Goonies). The Goon Show, best known in America for launching the career of Peter Sellers, was the brainchild of Spike Milligan.
Most Americans don't know about Spike Milligan, which is a shame. He was a comic genius.
And, like most geniuses, had severe mental problems. He had depression very similar to mine, although he was later diagnosed as manic depressive, and I havent degressed thst bad ... yet. He had breaks in figuring out reality, even one time came close to killing Peter Sellers. It got worse as he got older. This book is mostly told from the view of Milligan's psychiatrists point of view. This is not a funny book. It gets grim.
The only way to survive depression is to laugh at it and the world. Well, that was the message I got out of that. Your milage may vary.
Depression is incurable, but can sometimes be managed. Sadly, even though it's been decades since this was published, not much has changed in depression treatment.
I was born and raised in America. I currently live in America, though I felt most at home in England. I have endogenous recurring depression, also called major depression. I'd been a fan of Monty Python since my childhood, and learned that the Pythons had been inspired by The Goon Show (not to be confused with The Goonies). The Goon Show, best known in America for launching the career of Peter Sellers, was the brainchild of Spike Milligan.
Most Americans don't know about Spike Milligan, which is a shame. He was a comic genius.
And, like most geniuses, had severe mental problems. He had depression very similar to mine, although he was later diagnosed as manic depressive, and I havent degressed thst bad ... yet. He had breaks in figuring out reality, even one time came close to killing Peter Sellers. It got worse as he got older. This book is mostly told from the view of Milligan's psychiatrists point of view. This is not a funny book. It gets grim.
The only way to survive depression is to laugh at it and the world. Well, that was the message I got out of that. Your milage may vary.
Depression is incurable, but can sometimes be managed. Sadly, even though it's been decades since this was published, not much has changed in depression treatment.
November 2, 2011
Spike Milligan is one of the comic geniuses on the second half of the 20th century. He isn't celebrated in the U.S. like his close friend Peter Sellers, but he may be the greater genius. He's the grandfather of the type of comedy we would see in Monty Python, and indeed his humor was a favorite of all the British members of that group. If you like Python and you've never heard any of the Good Show radio programs from the 1950s there are several ways to get them and I would encourage you to do so... you won't regret it!
Milligan did, however, suffer greatly from bouts of depression. He was technically a Manic Depressive, but his Manic episodes were rather rare. Anthony Clare uses Milligan's experiences as an example and guide in this very informative piece of work.
The first time I personally was diagnosed with Major Depression was when I was about 13 or 14 years old. In that time I have found very few good pieces of work that helped me understand the condition better. This is one of them. It's a very solid and thoughtful piece of work. I started this book to learn about one of my personal heros and I learned a little bit more about myself. It's available for U.S. Kindle download and for import and it's worth the trouble.
Milligan did, however, suffer greatly from bouts of depression. He was technically a Manic Depressive, but his Manic episodes were rather rare. Anthony Clare uses Milligan's experiences as an example and guide in this very informative piece of work.
The first time I personally was diagnosed with Major Depression was when I was about 13 or 14 years old. In that time I have found very few good pieces of work that helped me understand the condition better. This is one of them. It's a very solid and thoughtful piece of work. I started this book to learn about one of my personal heros and I learned a little bit more about myself. It's available for U.S. Kindle download and for import and it's worth the trouble.
September 30, 2014
This is a wonderful book, giving a real insight into the world of the clincially depressed person, as told from the point of view of Spike Milligan who suffered from manic depression for most of his life and Dr Anthony Claire, who had a series of meetings with Spike Milligan and also who is a renowned expert in this field. At times, the book is very depressing and I would suggest reading it, when you are in a positive, inquisative frame of mind, so as not to drag you down further. It contains very detailed definitions of the different types of mental illness and the treatment available and I have to say my eyes glazed over occasionally at some of the indepth medical analysis, but generally it was a very informative and interesting read.
January 2, 2008
I'm ambivalent about Depression and How to Survive It by Anthony Clare. Though advertised as being co-authored with comedian Spike Milligan, this book really focuses on psychologist Clare sharing the full scope of his views on depression and mental illness. Milligan gets quoted now and then. It's hard for me to not be disappointed that it was less of a memoir than expected. However, as a resource for the science of depression, I have difficulty imaging a more readable textbook. Worth reading for anyone new to depression or who knows someone suffering from it.
Nowhere near as fun as Hello to All That, though.
Nowhere near as fun as Hello to All That, though.
June 24, 2010
This book didn't really tell me anything I didn't know about depression. I felt it was a better read for those around a depressed person. Although I found it interesting that a depressed person can search for a physical cause because of the stigma attached to mental illness.
Anyone who wants a book about about Spike Milligan this is not it, it is a case study about the wider subject of depression.
Anyone who wants a book about about Spike Milligan this is not it, it is a case study about the wider subject of depression.
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February 16, 2015A HOW-TO GUIDE FOR MEMERS
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