Prozac Nation in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

May 15, 2007 stephanie rated it did not like it

Shelves: psychology, crazypeoplememoirs, would-never-rec

this was the first book i read when i was given the diagnosis of "depression" and i immediately thought, "i am so not depressed!" the book is full of self-loathing and self-indulgence. elizabeth wurtzel is full of herself and attention getting. (and she blames the fact that everyone is depressed on broken homes. what about those of us with happily married parents?)

i wanted to shake her and ask, "but why don't you feel guilty? why are you blaming everyone else? why are you making everyone watch y this was the first book i read when i was given the diagnosis of "depression" and i immediately thought, "i am so not depressed!" the book is full of self-loathing and self-indulgence. elizabeth wurtzel is full of herself and attention getting. (and she blames the fact that everyone is depressed on broken homes. what about those of us with happily married parents?)

i wanted to shake her and ask, "but why don't you feel guilty? why are you blaming everyone else? why are you making everyone watch you fall apart?" truthfully, she seems more bi-polar or BPD (at least, major depressive with manic episodes) than strict depression. she's whiny and argumentative. however, those diagnoses are even more "novel" than depression, so.

(ETA: I meant all the statement above as separate - not that the fact I found her whiny and argumentative as evidence for a different diagnosis. I would like to point out though that she WAS later diagnosed with BPD. I was also commenting on the context of the situation I was given the book - depressed? Here's a girl just like you! - which wasn't the case. There is also the point to remember that when this came out, and when I read it, mental health was even poorer and much more highly stigmatized than it is in 2016. We now acknowledge the idea of the functional depressive, and depression has become so common place the word is replacing sadness in our vernacular. This was not the case 10 years ago. So for this book to be the voice of depression, and her willingness (even eagerness) to capitalize on that really made it difficult for me to digest.)

the truth is, too, that the pills helped her. she seems to gloss over that fact, but she was a better, more balanced person on prozac. i can understand not wanting to take your meds, but don't make it sound like it's the fault of the medication.

what can i say? she just pisses me off. (And I don't know, but I just don't see her writing this as a character of depression that we should all be repulsed by - because she isn't. She is largely okay with her behavior, except when it gets in the way of what she wants, usually in relationship terms. Maybe she is a much more talented writer than I am giving her credit for, but as a memoir, I am going with my gut reaction here. I read it, I read her later books. I would be interested to read what she thinks of this book today. But I still can't recommend it.) ...more

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Mar 31, 2007 SGK rated it really liked it

okay who can't relate to this memoir? Haven't we all gone through a time of painful introspection and depression. Haven't we all taken a few too many SSRIs?? Unfortunately I read this book when I was travelling through europe with my dad, not a great time to get all depression and have an extisential crises. ...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Andrea rated it did not like it

Shelves: quit

Sorry, Prozac Nation, but I'm just not that into you. ...more

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Jul 07, 2007 Katy rated it did not like it

Like most memoirs, I found the narrative voice to strangle the events with self loathing and self indulgence. The entire book drips with Wurtzel's condescension and by the end of the book her tone is almost unbearable. ...more

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