Anxietyland

Trigger Warning: Psychiatric Wards are mentioned. Warning: Anxiety, Agoraphobia, Panic attacks, depression, thoughts of suicide and brief mention of a death of a dog.

Truth be told, I had no idea what I was walking into when I started reading this. While I usually don’t like books that go back and forth between the past and present, however, in this case it worked. This memoir was literally a rollercoaster. The way Correll is able to address the serious issues such as panic attacks, depression, anxiety, and agoraphobia in a way that is respectful and humorous all at the same time is beautiful to see. Often times when I read books that mention mental health issues, they either have a dark undertone to it or hopeful but somewhat unrealistic approach to how mental health issues treated. However, this book is beautifully written and drawn.

The elements of shifting back and forth from Gemma as a kid, teenage self, college years, and present didn’t feel as confusing as I thought it would. We were able to see the shift of the reasoning behind the concepts of mental health/anxiety struggles she had and the voices she felt forced to listen to. The way we get deeper insights into a childhood and how therapy/mental health was viewed in London vs. America was interesting. I love the humor she had when she mentioned every time she tried to get advice, they respond with “tea”. I knew that wouldn’t do anything, but the way Correll was able to shift the tone to have a humor to her annoyance and frustration is nice to see and is able to keep a light hearted tone to otherwise serious issues that a lot of people struggle with on a day to day basis.

I love the theme of an amusement park, which I later found out through a meet and greet/presentation that Correll was influenced by multiple amusement parks, especially Disneyland. Every “ride” and “attraction” that her mental health journey represents was creative. I won’t lie, the Tunnel of love where Correll is coming out with a ton of pugs made me “awww”. I love the imagery and the smile the drawing had on the pages. I’ve also struggled with some anxiety and how Correll is able to represent that through an amusement is creative and well-thought out. My favorite representation of anxiety was the rollercoaster of an anxiety attack. It’s the perfect representation and the height and development gives the readers a deeper look in how it looks/can feel for someone. I love the visuals and the symbolism that Correll has with the amusement parks.

The representation of psychiatric wards felt respectful and dignified. Often, when I view psychiatric wards in the media, they show people that are very “over the top” or “crazy”. However, this gave me a great point of view on what really happens in psychiatric wards. Despite her experiences with people that were in the lowest point of their life next to her in the hospital, we see people trying to live their life every day. The doctors help them as well as Gemma and I love the respect she gave towards that experience and hope that movies/literature/TV shows can showcase psychiatric wards in a positive/accurate light down the road.

Since this is a memoir, I won’t go into details about the characters, however, Gemma’s husband is so supportive and it was nice to see. Despite seeing some of the struggles/frustrations he has, I still love that he supported Gemma throughout the entire journey.

For anyone struggling with anxiety or someone who wants to understand mental health issues/themes, this is the perfect memoir to read!