OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Voices In My Head" by Wendy Campbell, MHS PA(ASCP).]

Imagine having a medical condition that causes seizures and other neurological symptoms, but despite working in the medical profession, you struggle to find a diagnosis or receive treatment. Desperate to get help, you are passed from one doctor to another, accused of "faking it," and required to wade through mountains of disability paperwork. With raw transparency, Wendy Campbell shares her experience with functional neurological disorder (FND) in her heartrending story, The Voices In My Head: Seizures, Spirituality, and Sanity. Campbell chronicles her psychotic break, diagnosis, the stigma associated with mental health issues, and her ongoing battle to "integrate the trauma" of her life in hopes of helping others gain insight and manage their symptoms.

In addition to discussing her FND and mental health in the first section of the book, Campbell shares about her upbringing, miscarriage, career, marriage, programs, and God's fulfillment of unconditional love through her partner, Bryan. At times, she wonders if her psychotic break was "real." Readers will relate to Campbell's direct transparency; she clarifies that there is no quick fix or "magic pill." Rather than trying to motivate others to take action, she is simply sharing her story "about life that happens to revolve around mental illness." On the other hand, Campbell acknowledges that some of her writing is depressing. Her personal story is admittedly sad and evokes compassion.

I especially appreciate the honest manner that Campbell recounts the progression of her illness. For instance, she recalled the first voice that she heard in her head: "You possess qualities We need. Will you work for Us? If so, We will give you the one thing in life that you've always wanted--an Unconditional Love." Campbell is equally candid about the circumstances related to her neurological symptoms; she manages to do so with a sense of humor, referring to tremors that cause her to "do the zombie walk." I greatly admire her perseverance, resilience, and courage.

While there isn't anything I dislike about the book, I found the latter portion difficult to follow. In this section, Campbell shares musings, teachings, and philosophies about karma and suffering that she wrote during her psychotic break. However, the content provides insight into her frame of mind, spiritually and mentally. This section also includes diagrams, quotes, and song lyrics from Simon and Garfunkel, Genesis, and Kansas.

Unfortunately, the book needs a thorough round of editing as it contains numerous errors, such as the incorrect use of pronouns and the use of possessives instead of plurals. Overall, I rate The Voices in my Head 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend the book to readers who want to gain a better understanding of mental illness and neurological disorders. It contains only a few instances of borderline profanity.

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The Voices In My Head
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Writing about her struggle with FND must have been very therapeautic for her since at the time doctor's couldn't put a name to her mental disorder or worse yet, accused her of faking it. I imagine this was probably very frustrating for the author, and I'm happy to hear she is using this negative experience to do something postive and help others that are going through the same. Thanks for the excellent review!

Y0landa wrote: ↑30 Jan 2020, 05:52 Writing about her struggle with FND must have been very therapeautic for her since at the time doctor's couldn't put a name to her mental disorder or worse yet, accused her of faking it. I imagine this was probably very frustrating for the author, and I'm happy to hear she is using this negative experience to do something postive and help others that are going through the same. Thanks for the excellent review!

You're welcome. I appreciate your comment.

I really like this book. I can't believe that doctors would say someone is faking about a illness, This would definitely help people of a understanding about mental illnesses. I work with alot of people that has a mental illness, and you can tell it can be very frustrating. Especially seeing the family members, not understanding an illness that there family member has.

Stephanielblevins1 wrote: ↑31 Jan 2020, 23:18 I really like this book. I can't believe that doctors would say someone is faking about a illness, This would definitely help people of a understanding about mental illnesses. I work with alot of people that has a mental illness, and you can tell it can be very frustrating. Especially seeing the family members, not understanding an illness that there family member has.

Thank you for sharing. I appreciate your comments.

This sounds like a fascinating, if emotionally-exhausting, book. Thank you for your insightful review. I'm adding this to my "maybe" shelf.

Laura Lee wrote: ↑02 Feb 2020, 16:49 This sounds like a fascinating, if emotionally-exhausting, book. Thank you for your insightful review. I'm adding this to my "maybe" shelf.

Thanks for your comment, Laura!

Thanks, for the review. I actually felt the frustration of the author from reading the review. Sounds like an interesting and important book to read, I think there are many people going around with misunderstood illnesses

readerrihana wrote: ↑06 Feb 2020, 20:45 Thanks, for the review. I actually felt the frustration of the author from reading the review. Sounds like an interesting and important book to read, I think there are many people going around with misunderstood illnesses

Thank you. I appreciate your comment.

As a sufferer of mental illness, I can relate to the authors struggles wholeheartedly. I think I would enjoy this book.