Winchinchala opens the closet to this subject by discussing events from her own life and the lives of some notable icons who also suffered from depression, some of whom committed suicide. The gem, for me, in this book, is how she introduces the reader, from a 1st person perspective, to the inner world of emotional pain that accompanies depression and the darkness and utter dread that engulfs the suffering psyche during those times.
One also becomes acquainted with a different, often overlooked aspect of depression experienced by many sufferers, that of frustration. Many depressives are endowed with a creative aesthetic perspective on life, which they express through art, such as writing, music, poetry, painting, or politics. Winchinchala refers to them as 'beats' (i.e. nonconformists, as opposed to 'sheep' - conformists), and she identifies as a beat. Beats are not necessarily depressed, but they often find themselves identifying socially with a counter-culture.
Her 'out of the box' angle on life is most eloquently depicted in masterful prose as she leads the reader through the high's and low's of some of the good times and numerous bad times she has had. Her beat persona is also reflected in the book's title, The Official Sexy Solitary Suicide along with the cover illustration, which would make a sheep wonder, Why the juxtaposition of this quirky title and strange cover illustration with the depressing topic of depression? Her 'beat-ness' is further illustrated in poetic reflections in a number of poems at the back of the book.
The Official SEXY SOLITARY SUICIDE, written by a person who has lived through depression and recovered, will certainly resonate for those who stand at that precipice, and it will, hopefully, motivate them to stay in life and work through their aching psyches. In addition, this book provides valuable insight for all the psychotherapists who endeavor to understand the hell-hole their patients are in when they are clinically depressed."
Dr. Rick Lindal,
Psychologist in private practice,
Ontario, Canada
