Mad Girl

Absolutely loved reading this. It made me think about my own mental health struggles and self medicating/destructive behaviors and made me cry when relating to the breakthroughs Bryony had of what's important in life and the small things making all the difference, let alone the blessings of a good man and having a child. But the pure honesty that mental health struggles are always there. This book makes you remember that everything is OK and to carry on.

Good, fast, read. It was nice to read about someone with pretty intense OCD symptoms, who was not placed in the 'system'. Gave me hope, that I too can get better...that our pasts do not define our futures. It is real, honest, and uplifting...just not a deep read, which I usually go for.

Finally a book which delves into OCD in an honest, moving and genuine way.I read it in 4 hours flat last night. I will read it again, and then pass it on to my friends. Absolutely brilliant.

A very eye-opening story about mental health. As someone who has suffered from mental health issues in the past, it was reassuring while also being incredibly petrifying. Gordon is a great writer who kept me engaged the entire time I was reading. I finished it in less than a day.

I am one of your We. Thank you for speaking up. I will recommend this book to others, for sure!

Brutally honest, Bryony Gordon is a very brave woman to share the most intimate, embarrassing, frightening and down-right craziest moments from a life lived to the full despite the mental health issues that plagued her life. Ultimately, an uplifting and inspiring read. Highly recommended along with Matt Haig's Reasons To Stay Alive.

A compelling view of one writer's experience of OCD and depression, served up in a brutally honest and darkly humorous vein.

It was not my cup of tea. Just saying. I did like reading it though.

As a sufferer of OCD myself, I can relate to Bryony Gordon's experiences of the condition. She describes her terror and panic in the same way I experience it. Her style is not morose and there is a lot of humour in the book. I do envy her that she was able to access CBT therapy privately through her work's BUPA insurance scheme. I have been referred to many psychologists before now and am constantly told that therapy is essential in learning to manage the condition, but NHS waiting times are so long, that by the time I get there, my medication has kicked in and I am well, too well to take up a sought after NHS therapy space. Conversely, if I was fast tracked, I would be too unwell to participate as I become very ill very fast, so I wonder if I will ever benefit from CBT. Even so, if you or a loved one suffer with OCD this account is excellent and insightful. If you are just curious to know more about the condition, you will certainly come out with a clear understanding of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in all its dark and frightening forms.

“when you are well, you cannot even begin to imagine the places that you went to in your head…”If nothing else, this sentence from Bryony Gordon’s Mad Girl is worth more than a thought. It really resonated with me. There are days that I can’t believe where my thought process had led me and the irrationality that I have indulged over the past few years. But the whole journey Gordon shares is something really worth spending time reading.For me (naively), my understanding of OCD was the washing of hands, the multiple checks of the door being locked. But it is so much more. The brain is in overdrive in its thought processing. Gordon’s account of her need to control because of the OCD is very raw and shocking but incredibly brave. Her personification of her OCD is brilliant “evil, but ever so slightly enticing…” just perfect in choice – when you read it, you’ll understand why!The story of Paul made me well up. No person who professes to love you should make you feel like shit and Paul was that person. Gordon’s recollection of this relationship is heart breaking but it’s something that happens oh so often and shouldn’t. People shouldn’t have their self esteem shattered by someone they love. And yes, Paul is not his real name.the only person who has ever been able to deliver me a break is, um, me.As Gordon shared how she talked about her problems with her boss in tears, I was there. These are not easy conversations. Showing vulnerability to a manager even one who’s a friend and is understanding takes a lot and Gordon really portrays this.Gordon’s journey is a long one and it’s not over but she knows she has a support network when she has a wobble (or worse). She has her coping mechanisms which is something to aspire to.I have to say, I’ve made this book sound very heavy but it’s not. Bryony Gordon is a brilliant storyteller. She gives even her darkest moments an air of lightness but not to the extent of frivolity. No, her writing is jovial but with a deep sense of realism. I have The Wrong Knickers sat in my bookshelf which, as she points out in Mad Girl, is a very different read. But I will still indulge as I love her writing style and I will be acquiring her other books to read.Mad Girl is a stark reality of someone with problems, problems that they can’t control and possibly don’t fully understand. It gave me comfort that what I’ve experienced mentally over the past few years in coming to terms with my physical health, the effects of lockdown and dealing problems with work isn’t abnormal. My only regret is I didn’t read this sooner. Mad Girl is not a manual or a cure for mental health problems at all. It’s a kind of comforting hot chocolate to reassure you that what you’re experiencing or have experienced is normal and shouldn’t be anything to be ashamed of.

To be able to add such levels of self-deprecating humour to a topic that is so rife with extreme sadness, misery and anguish is the sign of, not only an incredible writer, but also a strong and soulful human being.Having recently been diagnosed with OCD myself, I felt as though, at times, I was looking at a mirror of myself. Reading an intricate reflection of the thoughts I have had, the feelings I have endured and the sentences I have muttered at the hands of my own "Jareth The Goblin King" was a comforting reminder that mental illness is not as isolating as it feels.A definite must read for anyone suffering with or helping the mentally afflicted.

I am not sure what to be most impressed by, the wit and Good humour which I have always thought is a sign of a wide mind. Or the passion and vulnerability that permeates the book. Maybe more than that is how moving it is and how odd the things are that our minds can make us do and how guilty we can feel , how much we can damage those we love in our distress. I have had my own memoir of my experience of compulsory treatment for Schizophrenia published recently. It was such a liberating thing to write even if it is nowhere near the standard of Bryony's work. I am sad Bryony suffered in the writing of this book but so glad it is there for us all to read it brightened my day, made me thankful for the life I have now.

An amazing book, honest and true to the authors self. I cried, I laughed, I felt sometimes that she knew how I have felt at times in my life. As Bryony says, it's not a self help book, but it does help and give hope to people who have or are suffering with mental illness, and it's full of humour as she laughs at herself and the situations she gets in. You should read this book, it can show you how other people feel, give you more understanding and it can show people who are suffering that there is a light at the end of that tunnel. Even without any of the above, it's a funny sometimes sad book, very entertaining and I've loved every minute of it.