Borderline Personality Disorder. "What the hell was that?" raged Rachel Reiland when she read the diagnosis written in her medical chart. As the 29-year old accountant, wife, and mother of young children would soon discover, it was the diagnosis that finally explained her explosive anger, manipulative behaviors, and self-destructive episodes- including bouts of anorexia, substance abuse, and sexual promiscuity. With astonishing honesty, Reiland's memoir reveals what mental illness feels like and looks like from the inside, and how healing from such a devastating disease is possible through intensive therapy and the support of loved ones.
*May Contain Spoilers*
Get Me Out of Here by Rachel Reiland is a mental illness memoir that shakes the core of it's readers. As Rachel realizes that she's about to hit rock bottom, she takes a chance on therapy as a last effort to save herself.
As Rachel suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder, it's hard to connect with certain personality traits because they are from her illness. She's moody, angry, aggressive, and spiteful. But simultaneously, she is a loving mother, gratuitous, giving, and brave. Through the ups and downs of her disease, the four years that are roughly documented in this memoir bring readers in and let them experience not only what Borderline Personality Disorder is, but also what it's like from the outside. The explosions she has, the moments when she can't control herself, and the discussion that stems from them is eye-opening. Some readers will have a hard time relating to Rachel, but I think the number of those that do will be surprising.
This memoir documents Rachel's journey from the depths of her illness, through therapy, to the life she's never imagined. Though the memoir does jump around a few times, the plot moves in a linear direction, making it easy to keep up with where Rachel is in her journey. I think this novel will touch readers and help them to understand what it's like to live with an illness. Definitely helpful for those who are living with, or know, someone with a mental illness.
Rating: 3.5/5 Cups
Non Fiction Genre in The Genre Variety Challenge
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