Official Review: Lady Injury by Melissa C. Water

Janiac02 · Post by **Janiac02** » 22 Sep 2015, 22:37

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Lady Injury" by Melissa C. Water.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Lady Injury is a true story based off of author Melissa C. Water’s journal which chronicles her time spent in a psychiatric ward while battling bulimia and struggling to overcome the need to self-injure. Melissa is a survivor of physical and sexual abuse who found solace in outwardly manifesting what she perceived to be inner ugliness. She would cut her legs and arms, burn her wrist, and beat her arm with a wrench. After successfully hiding her injuries from her family and friends for many years, she is admitted to a psychiatric ward, and begins to open up to her loved ones about what is really happening in her life. What ensues is a rare and insightful look past the societal stigmatization of mental illness. Through Melissa’s eyes each patient is a valuable person, and is not defined by their behaviour, violent or otherwise. The reactions of her family and the treatment from some of her healthcare workers when experienced from the perspective of the judged are eye-opening.

I chose to read Lady Injury because I’ve recently found myself thinking about the lack of empathy and worthwhile healthcare options for those struggling with Mental Illness in the United States of America. I work in a healthcare environment where your general practitioner is required to ask you about depression, but is only concerned about suicidal ideation. Answering “yes” to suffering from depression, but “no” to thoughts of suicide does not warrant any follow up questions, and professional help is rarely offered unless actively sought by the patient. In turn, psychiatry and counseling are very often out of pocket costs, and this does not encourage one to seek help. To compound the problem, there is the stigma of being labelled “crazy”. It is socially acceptable to make light of mental illness by dismissing it under umbrella terms such as insane, crazy, or pyscho. It is common to assume a person who is cutting, or admitting to depression, or thoughts of suicide must be acting out to receive attention. When we don’t look at a problem too closely, and don’t want to have serious conversations about it, we dehumanize those who are suffering and need help. This is my commentary on the healthcare system and social disdain for the mentally ill in the United States, but I suspect many of these things apply across the world.

One of the elements of Melissa’s story that shocked me the most was the way some of the staff on the Pyschiatric Ward treated her. These are people who should have received training to deal with a wide variety of unexpected situations while remaining calm. Reacting in anger isn’t an acceptable way to deal with a behavioral situation, and certainly can be traumatic for the patient. There were many comments made by medical staff suggesting that cutting oneself is the equivalent of a childish temper tantrum, done only to receive attention. Sometimes requests for help calming down were met with apathy instead of compassion, and other times Melissa was scolded out of other non-harmful coping mechanisms like lightly tapping on a floor or wall seemingly because the innocuous behavior was deemed annoying.

Despite the negative experiences, Melissa did persevere, and part of that can be credited to a few caring staff who communicated with her on a personal level she could relate to. Treatment without judgment is something that every person deserves, no matter what their background may be.

I rate Lady Injury 4 out of 4 stars. I believe this is an important discussion to be opened world wide, and I felt I got a very personal look at the author's experiences. Additionally , the writing was beautiful and the transition from journal entries to complete story was seamless.

If you are interested in learning more about Melissa’s experiences you can subscribe to her Youtube channel under idranktheseawater.

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Lady Injury
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Melissa-C-Water · Post by **Melissa-C-Water** » 24 Sep 2015, 12:20

OMG....Thank you. I had been pissing myself with fear that any reviewer was going to hate the book but this is beyond expectation. I thank you for your insight into mental health and your compassion for it. I love how you show no stigma and that's amazing.
Thanks so much for this review.

gali · Post by **gali** » 24 Sep 2015, 12:33

Great review and the book sounds inspiring. Congrats to the author on a positive review!

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 25 Sep 2015, 00:35

Great review! Congrats, Melissa! I completely agree that it is patronizing to treat mental patients like they "just want attention." There is so much I could say on that. The worst is actually being suicidal and being afraid of yourself. I called the suicide hotline once, and the woman on the phone actually got mad at me. I don't remember why, but even at the time, I was clear-headed enough to realize that I was in crisis and she wasn't, and where did she get off? I told her as much, but I'm not sure it got through.

I've been in the ER, trying to recover from taking too many pills, and the staff treated me like a burden, because I ruined their night by harming myself, where there's an innocent gunshot victim nearby who DESERVES their medical care. It's like I want to shake them and say, "This is the worst point in my life, and I'm terrified. I was terrified before I swallowed the pills. I'm terrified now. You're merely overworked and irritated. Try to get some perspective."

The lack of compassion is alarming. And it's scary. I've also worked at residential treatment facilities, primarily in Georgia, and I never got mad at the kids. I cared about them, a lot. I set limits that did not encourage power struggles. My coworkers, on the other hand, were worthless pieces of human excrement. Although that makes them sound nicer than they were.

Geez, Melissa, you and I could swap stories!! Thank you for writing this book.

Melissa-C-Water · Post by **Melissa-C-Water** » 25 Sep 2015, 00:55

Thanks Gali

Hey Zelda's Lullaby
Its true they lack compassion and understanding too. They dont even try to get in out heads. I have loads of journal stories that were just shocking as to how they treated other patients or how they treated me.
Sorry you went through all that. I guess we do have things in common! People need to be trained to respond to these things and not only that but taught why patients may do the things they do.

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 25 Sep 2015, 01:04

Yeah. Sigh. I'm falling asleep now, but we can talk more later!

Tanaya · Post by **Tanaya** » 25 Sep 2015, 17:29

Similar to zeldas_lullaby, this speaks to me on so many levels. I feel very compelled to read it, but I'll have to be in the right mindset to do so. Thanks for sharing your story, and great review Janiac02!

Janiac02 · Post by **Janiac02** » 25 Sep 2015, 22:23

I'm so glad that this is starting a conversation! Sorry I haven't contributed, I am currently abroad in India. Very sketchy wifi connections here.

Melissa, you wholeheartedly deserve a very positive review. I understand being nervous though. I'm nervous every time I write a review, and I'm merely discussing the work of others. You bore your soul in your book!

Melissa-C-Water · Post by **Melissa-C-Water** » 25 Sep 2015, 22:41

Tanaya.... I can totally understand wanting to be in a safe place when reading. This book can be triggering to some as it discusses sensitive issues. I have a few warnings on the book to be careful and to read only when in the right state of mind. A few have said they found it triggering but well worth the read and they read it multiple times as they could relate to it so much. So yeah, stay safe for sure.

Janiac02....again, thank you so much. I did bear my soul in my book. Thats one reason I was sensitive to whether I would publish or not. In the end I felt it was a story that could be of help, partly to educate and partly to let people know they aren't alone.
You did do a great job with the review as I was impressed by your non-judgemental attitude and caring spirit. I think I've faced enough judgement which is one reason I was nervous but Im really happy with how things turned out.
And its true this needs to be talked about more. Thats one reason I have my youtube channel and bear my soul even more. I wish there was more proper awareness made for these issues.

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 25 Sep 2015, 22:53

Hey, Melissa! I do have some oddly fond teen memories... the unit was like a health spa. We played the Oregon Trail game on computer, we ate good food, we watched Murder, She Wrote, we went to arts and crafts, and it was like camp almost, and all of us teens were friendly with each other and supportive of each other. The staff were friendly and they tried hard. I remember they complimented me for how well I whistled the Murder, She Wrote theme song. I certainly realize, though, that there's a breadth of possible experiences out there. I've seen the ugly, too.

I sometimes have this comforting dream that I'm back on the unit, and I'm just so relaxed and safe and protected, and surrounded by friends, and we're all trying to rest from the painful emotions while enjoying each other's company. I figure that dream symbolizes emotional healing, if I've been going through something difficult, or that sort of thing.

People who have never experienced anything bad and have no compassion are not worth anything. It took me years to understand that. I pity them.

Anyway, I love your signature line! Keep fighting the stigma for us!!

Melissa-C-Water · Post by **Melissa-C-Water** » 26 Sep 2015, 01:57

Hey Zelda's Lullaby
I was never admitted as a teenager so Im not sure if my experience would have been different in that environment.
Its nice that you had that good experience to look back on fondly. Its great even.
Although I can relate to a feeling of being safe but that was more being safe from myself, at least at first.

And

I will keep fighting the stigma. It helps me feel like I have a cause and I need a cause.

chytach18- · Post by **chytach18-** » 26 Sep 2015, 05:41

Great review, Janiac. You did a good job of including your own view on the healthcare system. I am teaching children with special needs. The children`s needs in Britain are met (more or less); however, I always worry what would happen to my pupils once they are forced to enter the world of adults. A few days ago I was on the bus, going home after work. There was a teenage boy with his mother; the boy had some mental difficulties but he didn`t do any harm to anybody. He was just humming to himself. I was appalled when one or two passengers had started making some very rude comments about the boy and his mother. Fortunately, immediately they were told to shut up by other passengers. But even in Britain - where we are more patient to people who might be behaving or look differently - sometimes the care for these people is not as good as it should be. Take care, Melissa.

Jesska6029 · Post by **Jesska6029** » 26 Sep 2015, 20:17

Great review! This book seems truly fantastic. I'm putting it on my to read list!

bluemel4 · Post by **bluemel4** » 26 Sep 2015, 21:01

Excellent review Janiac02! Melissa thank you for being brave and sharing your story. I have worked in the mental health profession and it is amazing the amount of negativity that is placed on mental illness. Just because it is not tangible or quantifiable does not make it less damaging or debilitating. I agree that people generally do not understand. Your book is one more step in a positive direction to educate and advocate for mental health.

Post by **bookowlie** » 27 Sep 2015, 08:31

Nice, insightful review. Congrats Melissa (the author) on receiving a 4-star review and sharing your story. I agree with Bluemel that your book is another step toward educating people in this area. The more people know, the greater likelihood that the stigma of mental illness will start to fall away.