Comments for mirabile dictu

Comment on Antidepressants in America by Kat

Kat — Thu, 23 May 2013 02:32:23 +0000

Kay, I am so sorry to hear about your hospitalization. I know these places are awful, and I’m glad it was voluntary. I hope your suicidal thoughts are gone. Too many good people have these illnesses. The medications–well, they have no money to develop new ones–are given to everybody, whether they have depression, bipolar, or even something like leukemia. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t.

Please feel better! I know the 11 percent of people with these illnesses.

Comment on Antidepressants in America by kayclifton

kayclifton — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:52:03 +0000

I was just released from a psychiatric ward at a General Hospital. It was a voluntary commitment for depression but mainly for suicidal thoughts. The stay wasn’t too helpful. I have spent many years in psychotherapy and taken many different meds including currently Prozac, lamictal, Seroquel and klonopin. I am also an older woman (75) and it really is discouraging to have this happen after all my efforts and at my age.

I couldn’t tell by your message whether you wrote about the topic because you had suffered from depression yourself or that mental problems and/medications were of interest to you. In any case, thanks for writing this message as it’s time to bring this problem out of the closet.

Comment on Antidepressants in America by Kat

Kat — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:42:09 +0000

Antoinette, absolutely! The NIMH needs to do more research.

Susan, what a sad story. I hadn’t thought about these conditions in late life, and you’re right, someone should write about it. She probably hates the pills, and the Alzheimer’s must be terrible, too. Two hospitalizations! Awful! And how can the state not give her Medicaid? I do feel for you. It is a huge responsibility: bad when you’re so far away, and you have your own family, too. The U.S. does not take good care of people with these illnesses.

Comment on Antidepressants in America by Susan

Susan — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:02:42 +0000

I’m dealing with an older sister right now whose bipolar condition went unacknowledged and untreated for most of her life. She started taking meds in her early 60s, after some initial difficulty accepting the diagnosis, but badly, and now, in her late 60s, after two involuntary committments since mid-March and a bunch of other stuff I won’t go into, it turns out the bipolar’s been masking just how advanced a case of Alzheimer’s she’s got going on as well. Plus, the state of North Carolina says she gets too much Social Security to qualify for Medicaid! Whee! And did I mention I’m the only family she has left? And I live 80 miles away? And she hangs up on me when I call?

It took until late April before I could get power of attorney from her and she turned on me and started trying to get it back within days since she’s so paranoid and delusional. The hospital rep thinks a lot of this may be coming from the Alzheimer’s, not the bipolar, but who knows? I got a social worker added on as having co-power of attorney just yesterday who’s been assessing her and is going to assist in finding a nursing facility for her, but she says her problems are so unique, it’s going to be hard.

Anyway, there ought to be more books written about mental health issues in late life, I think.

Comment on Antidepressants in America by Antoinette

Antoinette — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:36:36 +0000

These are important issues, and it is a sad that so many people go untreated, or are given the wrong pills. Artists have side effects, yes, the rest of us, too.

Comment on Not Enough German Literature & Birgit Vanderbeke’s The Mussel Feast by Kat

Kat — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:26:28 +0000

Tom, I know you ARE the person who reads a lot of literature in translation, one of the many things that makes your blog so interesting. I wasn’t familiar with Pierene, but will certainly browse their catalogue with interest.

Ellen, it would be interesting to know why some languages get translated, some not. My impression is that there is a lot of French, Italian, and Spanish–so maybe nothing with guttural sounds. But of course that’s probably not it at all. I don’t know what the statistics are: does anybody?

Comment on Not Enough German Literature & Birgit Vanderbeke’s The Mussel Feast by ellenandjim

ellenandjim — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:43:28 +0000

Very good point. I wish I could read more German articles. I suggest the lack of German texts, film, art comes still from WW2; much of the art world in the US has been influenced by Jewish-European artists & writers too. German is also not the vehicular language that French has been and continues to be. Only a few come across and there’s often a political context for what does. One favorite of mine I’ll mention is Christa Wolff.

Comment on Not Enough German Literature & Birgit Vanderbeke’s The Mussel Feast by acommonreaderuk

acommonreaderuk — Tue, 21 May 2013 07:04:22 +0000

Very interesting statistic about how few books in translation are read. I’ve read quite a few German books and enjoy them usually. This one sounds good – Peirene are doing some good work aren’t they.

Comment on Not Enough German Literature & Birgit Vanderbeke’s The Mussel Feast by Kat

Kat — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:03:35 +0000

Yes, I wish I knew more about it, but I find most of my books in translation while browsing at bookstores. It’s astonishing how few German books I find. Of course I have to drive 100 miles to get to a good bookstore.

Comment on Not Enough German Literature & Birgit Vanderbeke’s The Mussel Feast by ginny

ginny — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:54:26 +0000

Thanks for mentioning this book, it sounds great. Although I’ve read and love most of Heinrich Boll, I am sadly ignorant about what is happening in German literature today.