In 1998, Helen Razer, self-appointed critical thinker and electronic media nuisance, was forced to reassess her life when she found herself temporarily blinded and suffering incapacitating dizzy spells, hypervigilance, headaches and a whole gamut of other nut-churning symptoms associated with being hurled about in the anxiety and depression spin cycle.
At her lowest Helen wanted to top herself but with the help of psychoanalysis and judicious drug therapy, she dragged herself into recovery. In her usual irreverent and needlessly wordy style Helen draws on her own painful but ultimately transforming experience to discuss everything from finding a good shrink to dealing with suicidal thoughts.
'Gas Smells Awful' is an insightful and vitally important resource for those caring for someone struggling with a depressive illness. And at a time when mental illness and suicide - especially among young people - have reached alarming levels, it speaks bravely, honestly and optimistically to anyone trying to find a way through the torment of depression.
