5 Authors Of Brutally Honest And Surprising Memoirs

5 Authors Sharing Personal Stories Through Memoir

Linda Gask Discusses the Experience of Being a Patient

U.S. Mental Health Facts

• 1 in 5 U.S. adults experiences mental illness each year
• 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24
• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34
• The average delay between onset of mental illness symptoms and treatment is 11 years
• People with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases than the general population
• 19.3% of U.S. adults with mental illness also experienced a substance use disorder in 2018
• The rate of unemployment is higher among U.S. adults who have mental illness (5.8%) compared to those who do not (3.6%)
• 41% of the people with mental disorders receive professional health care or other services
• Mental illness is associated with lower use of medical care, reduced adherence to treatment therapies for chronic diseases and higher risks of adverse health outcomes
• Up to 25% of primary care patients suffer from depression, but primary care doctors identify only 31% of these patients
• 4% of young adults reported forgoing mental health care in the past year, despite self-reported mental health needs
• Major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15-44
• Women are nearly twice as likely to suffer from major depression than men
• Four times as many men than women commit suicide
• Suicidal ideation among adults increased from 3.77% in 2012 to 4.19% in 2017
• The proportion of youth with private insurance that did not cover mental or emotional difficulties went from 4.6% in 2012 to 8.1% in 2017
• 8.4% of children aged 6 to 17 have been diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression

Keith Foskett on the Continental Divide Trail

In Depth

Truth can be more compelling than fiction, and memoirs often provide revealing and brutally honest insights into the lives of others. Professional and personal experiences can teach us something about life, and good authors seek to tell their stories even if it's difficult. Whether the subject is a rough childhood or an extraordinary undertaking, consider these authors listed here in no particular order.

First up, at #1, we have Linda Gask, who worked for over 30 years as a psychiatrist in the UK National Health Service, and is currently Emerita Professor of Primary Care Psychiatry at the University of Manchester. Gask's research and teaching interests are the management of depression and other mental health problems.

Her book, The Other Side of Silence: A Psychiatrist's Memoir of Depression, is the story of how she realized that her expertise did not confer any immunity to depression, and her struggles as a patient as well as a doctor.

Her book, The Other Side of Silence: A Psychiatrist's Memoir of Depression, is the story of how she realized that her expertise did not confer any immunity to depression, and her struggles as a patient as well as a doctor.

Coming in at #2 is Christopher Merrill, a published poet whose writings have been translated into nearly forty languages. As director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa since 2000, he has undertaken cultural diplomacy missions in over 30 countries, such as Afghanistan and Bahrain.

His memoir, Self-Portrait with Dogwood, was inspired by the realization that a number of formative moments in his life had a connection to the dogwood tree. He uses this connection as a jumping off point to examine himself, and explores new ways of thinking about personal history, the environment, and the power of the written word.

Next up, at #3, we have Amra Pajalic, a teacher and author who published her debut novel, The Good Daughter, in 2009. Her memoir, Things Nobody Knows But Me, chronicles her experience of having a non-English speaking mother who suffered from bipolar disorder and how it affected their relationship.

Her memoir, Things Nobody Knows But Me, chronicles her experience of having a non-English speaking mother who suffered from bipolar disorder and how it affected their relationship.

Things Nobody Knows But Me is an intimate portrait of family, migration, and growing up as a bicultural person in Australia. The book focuses on the bond fractured and forged by illness and experience. Her mother, Fatima, emerges as a remarkable but wounded woman who learns that her daughter really loves her.

Arriving at #4 is Keith Foskett, who became hooked on walking long distances in remote locations, otherwise known as thru-hiking, which forms the basis of much of his writing. His first memoir, The Journey in Between, is an account of his 1,000 mile walk on the Camino de Santiago, otherwise known as The Way.

He completed all 2,640 miles of The Pacific Crest Trail in America, and the subsequent book, The Last Englishman, was shortlisted for Outdoor Book of the Year by The Great Outdoors magazine. He continued on to hike 2,180 miles of The Appalachian Trail. The resulting memoir is his third book, Balancing on Blue.

The resulting memoir is his third book, Balancing on Blue.

Finally, at #5 we have David B. Bohl, whose memoir, Parallel Universes, reveals the inner turmoil he experienced growing up as an adoptee. An overachiever at everything he undertook, whether in sailing, academics, or as a trader on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange floor, he often found happiness in a bottle, and ultimately became an alcoholic.

David sought out support after much hardship, and eventually overcame his alcoholism. Today, he is an independent addiction consultant who fully understands the challenges faced by those who seek to escape from their pain through external means. He hopes his memoir offers hope to those struggling with today's increasingly stressful world.