Cynically Sweet (Booklikes)

High Tides is a short book that looks into depression, from the perspective of author Candace Andrews. I would classify this book as an introduction to depression and its effects on people. Though it's not a complete manual for dealing with it, it includes varying aspects on what one might deal with. It has information about varying forms of depression and similar mental illnesses as well as a little bit about the drugs one might be prescribed. It includes varying personal experiences that the author has been through; including examples of family members and people they've also met with similar problems. There are several quotes from books, as well as a bit of information about famous people who have suffered from depression and similar things. It also has what I would consider to be tips; it encourages people to do what they enjoy or to make plans for their future (even if they might not feel like it). As a further comment to that last point, I appreciate that the author has shared some of her personal writings such as the diary entries and poetry; it's an outlet that she's used to help her through her own problems.

Overall, I did like the book. Though, not every aspect spoke to me- I didn't particularly find a fascination with the discussion of medicines or similar things, but I did find some other, very interesting portions that I might find useful in future life. The portions I enjoyed most were the snippets of her life when growing up. Though I do have to admit that they sometimes felt a bit disjointed and didn't always have relevance, I did like reading about the varying things she and her family have been through during the struggle. Other people would, of course, like different aspects of the book. It's only a little more than a hundred pages, including acknowledgements and notes. I think that if you can get yourself a copy, you may as well give it a go and you might find something useful to you or someone you know.

For people who want to avoid such things; this book does include religious references. It also includes references to suicide.

I won a copy of this book via a First Reads giveaway and these are just my honest thoughts on it.