Nonfiction

Living Better: How I Learned to Survive Depression

Living Better: How I Learned to Survive Depression

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  • Create Date：2021-04-29 00:52:38
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Alastair Campbell
  • ISBN：152933182X
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Summary

Last Christmas I almost killed myself。 Almost。 I've had a lot of almosts。 Never gone from almost to deed。 Don't think I ever will。 But it was a bad almost。

Living Better is Alastair Campbell's honest， moving and life affirming account of his lifelong struggle with depression。 It is an autobiographical， psychological and psychiatric study， which explores his own childhood， family and other relationships， and examines the impact of his professional and political life on himself and those around him。 But it also lays bare his relentless quest to understand depression not just through his own life but through different treatments。 Every bit as direct and driven， clever and candid as he is， this is a book filled with pain， but also hope -- he examines how his successes have been in part because of rather than despite his mental health problems -- and love。

We all know someone with depression。 There is barely a family untouched by it。 We may be talking about it more than we did， back in the era of 'boys don't cry' - they did you know - and when a brave face or a stiff upper lip or a best foot forward was seen as the only way to go。 But we still don't talk about it enough。 There is still stigma， and shame， and taboo。 There is still the feeling that admitting to being sad or anxious makes us weak。 It took me years， decades even to get to this point， but I passionately believe that the reverse is true and that speaking honestly about our feelings and experiences （whether as a depressive or as the friend or relative of a depressive） is the first and best step on the road to recovery。 So that is what I have tried to do here。

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Reviews

Adam Wainwright ，

A pretty solid book。 Alastair Campbell is pretty brutally honest in the autobiographical content on how he hit breaking point in Scotland and his subsequent depressive episodes。 He discusses his many forays into the science and seeing if things can help with suggestions towards the end， especially the 'jam jar' concept。Well written （although based on his history I expected that！）， clear and interesting。 Recommended。 A pretty solid book。 Alastair Campbell is pretty brutally honest in the autobiographical content on how he hit breaking point in Scotland and his subsequent depressive episodes。 He discusses his many forays into the science and seeing if things can help with suggestions towards the end， especially the 'jam jar' concept。Well written （although based on his history I expected that！）， clear and interesting。 Recommended。 。。。more

Alex ，

I thought this book was so frank and refreshing。 I would love it to be added to the secondary school curriculum as compulsory reading， for its honest stories and useful coping strategies。 Although， never lived with depression myself， the read was very eye opening and Alistair has a lovely way of explaining things that is very to the point。 I especially liked Fionas chapter at the very end， as often those who live with and support those living with mental health issues get overlooked。

Violet Daniels ，

Uplifting and insightful， we should all be having more honest conversations about mental health。

Diana ，

Listened on audio book。 His personal story of loss， alcohol and depression and what he has done to live in a better and healthier way。 The closing chapters of the book were the best part， where he talks about the mental jam jar， his partner fiona speaks about her experience living with him， and his tips for being mentally healthy during covid。

Sally ，

I had the audio version of this and Alastair Campbell accompanied me on several morning walks。 I was glad to be alone because this book - especially the first part - touched me very deeply。 There were bits that made me cry。 Sentences I felt in my bones。 There were times I actually gasped with the shock of the recognition。 I began to talk back to him - Yes， yes。 You too？ Oh my God。If you suffer from depression then the second part - on the things Alastair Campbell has tried and which have worked I had the audio version of this and Alastair Campbell accompanied me on several morning walks。 I was glad to be alone because this book - especially the first part - touched me very deeply。 There were bits that made me cry。 Sentences I felt in my bones。 There were times I actually gasped with the shock of the recognition。 I began to talk back to him - Yes， yes。 You too？ Oh my God。If you suffer from depression then the second part - on the things Alastair Campbell has tried and which have worked - might be very helpful。 The first part may be comforting if you've ever felt alone， because it tells you that you aren't。 However， I suggest that you don't try this book - either part - if you are in a slump。 It might cut too close to the bone。If you don't suffer from depression， then this book might help you understand。 Living with a depressive can be as rough， in its own way， as living with depression。 The chapter on the Depression Scale and the one titled 'How it feels' are very powerful。 The afterword by his partner， Fiona might also be of some comfort。 I enjoyed the personal reminiscences and reflections。 I enjoyed the manic political ranting。 I was touched by the deep devotion Alastair （as I now think of him - we've got so much in common！） clearly feels for the stoic Fiona。 It made me even more appreciative of my equally stoic spouse。 I am glad I listened to this book。 I feel good at the moment so I am going to try to put some of the suggestions （especially the Jam Jar） into practice in the hope that they will cushion my landing when I （inevitably） plummet again。I will miss Alastair's company on my morning walks， though。 。。。more

Jade Wargate ，

This book delves deeply into Alistair’s struggles with mental health throughout his life， from his childhood days in Tiree to his Blair days。 His personal struggles and private losses highlighted throughout the book had me glued from the start。 Alistair allowed insight into his childhood， loss and grief， his psychotic breakdown and conversations between him and his therapist。 I found it useful that Alistair drew on his “search for a cure” towards the end of the book which included mind exercises This book delves deeply into Alistair’s struggles with mental health throughout his life， from his childhood days in Tiree to his Blair days。 His personal struggles and private losses highlighted throughout the book had me glued from the start。 Alistair allowed insight into his childhood， loss and grief， his psychotic breakdown and conversations between him and his therapist。 I found it useful that Alistair drew on his “search for a cure” towards the end of the book which included mind exercises， MRI scans and the life-saving jam jar。 I found Fiona Millar’s （his wife） piece on managing depression and how to live with someone suffering from it very insightful。 I also found it useful in seeing an insight into someone else with mental health。 I found that Alistair’s list of dealing with depression helpful， this included exercising， reading books， sleep， cutting down on social media and keeping in touch with family and friends。 。。。more

Heather ，

Of all the self help books I’ve read; memoirs and stories of depression - I never thought I’d find myself relating so closely with the mind of someone such as Alastair。Within this book， there are analogies， revelations and explanations of depression that I’d never have thought of before。Whilst there are certainly dark， and potentially triggering elements to this book - it really has been an excellent and eye opening read。

Lewis Campbell ，

Completely changed my perception of those suffering with depression。 Through his own experiences and those of his family， Campbell challenges the stigmas around mental health in a way that can only be achieved through humanising stories。I have been profoundly moved by his explorations of how people can reach the dark places they do。 I am ashamed to admit that before picking up this book I was firmly of the belief that suicide was the “cowards way out”。 This book has provided an insight into a wo Completely changed my perception of those suffering with depression。 Through his own experiences and those of his family， Campbell challenges the stigmas around mental health in a way that can only be achieved through humanising stories。I have been profoundly moved by his explorations of how people can reach the dark places they do。 I am ashamed to admit that before picking up this book I was firmly of the belief that suicide was the “cowards way out”。 This book has provided an insight into a world which， as someone who has not suffered with depression， I previously held disrespectful opinions which I believed to be compassionate。 I would urge people like myself who not only have great sympathy for， but believed they had a good understanding of the plight of those suffering， to give this book a go。 It has been a real eye opener。 。。。more

Kim Symes ，

I wouldn't have bought this book， and only read it because my son passed it on to me after he'd read it。It's an interesting book for anybody， not just those who have experienced depression themselves。 Everybody gets the occasional low mood， and some of the self-help tips may be widely applicable。 Personally， I am extremely fortunate in never having experienced proper depression of the kind Campbell describes， yet his techniques for getting out of a trough were fairly familiar to me。 Many， if not I wouldn't have bought this book， and only read it because my son passed it on to me after he'd read it。It's an interesting book for anybody， not just those who have experienced depression themselves。 Everybody gets the occasional low mood， and some of the self-help tips may be widely applicable。 Personally， I am extremely fortunate in never having experienced proper depression of the kind Campbell describes， yet his techniques for getting out of a trough were fairly familiar to me。 Many， if not most， people will know someone who gets bouts of depression even if they don't suffer with it themselves， so it's useful to get this insider's viewpoint。For me， the most interesting aspects of the book were the biographical details。 I didn't know a lot about Alastair Campbell， except that he had been Tony Blair's right-hand man， and had a reputation for being a sweary， egocentric enforcer （allegedly the inspiration for Malcolm Tucker in Armando Ianucci's comedy The Thick of It）。 The book doesn't do much to change that picture， but it does fill out the character a lot。 I was delighted to learn that Campbell plays bagpipes - not just as a pastime， but rather seriously， and formerly at competition level。 He also composes tunes。 I found the family history and very Scottish roots fascinating and it certainly revealed a more humane and humble character than I had previously realised was there。That said， I felt that the book wasn't especially well-written。 It felt rushed， possibly written as a stream-of-consciousness outpouring without a pre-planned structure。 But perhaps I'm being picky。 I've read a lot of high quality writing recently， and have become more critical of offerings that don't match up。 It must have been ok， as I did finish it， and found it quite interesting。The penultimate chapter gave a particularly useful insight as it was written by Campbell's wife Fiona Millar。 She offers her view of the experience of being married to Alastair Campbell for four decades （difficult， but never dull）， and offers advice to anyone sharing their life with a depressive。 This chapter was meant to be the last word in the book， but （perhaps typically） Campbell takes it back and provides a postscript， written after the start of the pandemic， with some reflection on the mental health effects of lockdown。Overall， worth a read， and many might find valuable lessons in this book。 。。。more

Leah Swan ，

3。5 stars。 Didn't love the biography first half， but found the second half really interesting。 3。5 stars。 Didn't love the biography first half， but found the second half really interesting。 。。。more

Esther ，

My company invited him to give a （zoom obvs） talk on mental health。 I'll admit I attended more out of curiosity to hear what the former robust Blair spin doctor had to say。 Well preconceived notions were dispelled as he spoke very well for an hour with honesty， humility and nice touches of northern humor （he was born in Yorkshire， I never knew）。 So I decided to get his book as who doesn't need some mental health advice in this shitty year。 Its probably more of an interesting honest look at his l My company invited him to give a （zoom obvs） talk on mental health。 I'll admit I attended more out of curiosity to hear what the former robust Blair spin doctor had to say。 Well preconceived notions were dispelled as he spoke very well for an hour with honesty， humility and nice touches of northern humor （he was born in Yorkshire， I never knew）。 So I decided to get his book as who doesn't need some mental health advice in this shitty year。 Its probably more of an interesting honest look at his life and depression than a typical how-to book。 But that made it more interesting and resonant to me， to hear about when he was manically running Blairs press or the Fleet Street hothouses in the 80s/90s when he was a political journalist and then the search for health and meaning after his resignation in the 00s。 。。。more

Lia ，

Audiobook

Sheila Howes ，

I enjoyed the first half （which was more memoir） than the second half （which was about trying to find cures）。 Certain bits dragged and made me feel uncomfortable。 Overall a good intro to depression。

Ruth Fisher ，

3。5 🌟

Martin Dubeci ，

Kúsok all over the place， ale veľmi úprimný pohľad aj na svet politiky a duševného zdravia。 Aj u nás by sa dala napísať。

Adam Murphy ，

Living Better by Alastair Campbell is more of a biography through the lens of mental health/illness than a more general book about depression - it is deeply personal。 It's a very pertinent read for these times when everyone's mental health is being challenged。 When the vial gets empty， there's a difficult-to-view reflection of the hollowness that might lead to the hurtful behaviour against yourself & others。 I'm thankful that Mr Campbell told us his struggle while questioning moments of his fami Living Better by Alastair Campbell is more of a biography through the lens of mental health/illness than a more general book about depression - it is deeply personal。 It's a very pertinent read for these times when everyone's mental health is being challenged。 When the vial gets empty， there's a difficult-to-view reflection of the hollowness that might lead to the hurtful behaviour against yourself & others。 I'm thankful that Mr Campbell told us his struggle while questioning moments of his family history （mostly wondering if his illness is hereditary）。 Many people suffer from mental illness。 Recovering from it is， more often than not， a long （sometimes lifetime-spanning） and challenging journey， with many illnesses not even having "cures"。 You've seen those standard TV commercials about depression。 "Are you less interested in things you used to enjoy？ Maybe you're depressed。 Depression hurts。" Etcetera。 Everyone feels down sometimes。 However， there are various types of clinical depression， which is a widespread psychological problem。 Up to 1 in 5 people will experience it at some point in their lives。 Antidepressants can help those who are clinically depressed， of course， although counselling tends to be very helpful as well。 For minor to moderate depression， counselling is usually at least as effective as medication。Lifestyle changes are another option to be used in conjunction with talk therapy and/or medication。 These can range from leaving an abusive situation or triggering situation or changing one's beliefs or expectations to simpler things such as getting enough rest and exercise， proper nutrition， getting a pet， or developing more satisfying friendships and relationships。 One purpose of talk therapy is to guide you in helping make any of these that you may need to make。To summarise， I hope you， whoever you are， whatever you do in life， are treating yourself as well and as fair as you possibly can。 Life can sometimes be stressful， complicated， unfair， but you derisive love。 You deserve happiness， and if you are struggling， you deserve help。 So please take a break。 Be kind to yourself and remember that there is help if you feel out of your depth - there is no weakness in asking for help because together we are stronger。  。。。more

Jo Roberts ，

Absolutely brilliant - this ought to be read by everyone whom has a loved one affected by depression

Claire Winchester ，

I love how honest Alastair Campbell is about his own conflict with depression and I found it fascinating read， understanding his history and upbringing and then his years in politics。He’s direct and candid and clever in the way he writes and explains himself although at times the book is upsetting it also provides hope as the second half of the book covers his own investigations into how to reduce or heal ones self from depression。 It’s a very readable book that is profound and moving。

Ewan ，

Our wellbeing and emotional happiness should take precedent over work and superficial titbits of life。 It’s easy to say such a thing， but near impossible to act on。 Former spin doctor Alastair Campbell reveals his battle with depression， and how he’s living better in his latest book of the same name。 At a time where the mental health of many is under consistent strain， Living Better couldn’t have released at a better time。 Part autobiography， part mental-health guide， Campbell’s writing blurs th Our wellbeing and emotional happiness should take precedent over work and superficial titbits of life。 It’s easy to say such a thing， but near impossible to act on。 Former spin doctor Alastair Campbell reveals his battle with depression， and how he’s living better in his latest book of the same name。 At a time where the mental health of many is under consistent strain， Living Better couldn’t have released at a better time。 Part autobiography， part mental-health guide， Campbell’s writing blurs the line between personal experience and fact-finding expedition。 There are attempts made consistently throughout this piece to do away with the taboo of talking about your mental health。 For that， Campbell should be commended， especially after generations of “manning up” or “putting the right foot forward”， he attempts to undo some of that damage by giving thoughtful recollections of what addiction， depression， anxiety， and workaholism entail。 Quite a loose narrative appears from time to time， and some chunks feel a tad forgettable。 Campbell details his early life and relationship with his brothers in vivid detail and a level of honesty that surprised me， but the latter half of the book feels rather underwhelming。 Pacing does feel like an issue to some degree， with some chapters ending far too soon， others eating up whole swathes of paper。 There is certainly value to be found within， but much of it comes from the odd line here or there， rather than the chapter on the whole。 It’s worth digging through the build-up to see what pay-off there is。 Some advice feels rather obvious， but without the explanation before it would be just an empty gesture， so it’s nice to see Campbell explains the simplest of quips used when combating stigmas surrounding mental health。 Our mental health and emotional wellbeing are unique to us， it’s an individual experience and no two people will be identical。 Living Better does a good job of detailing that， offering up a wide array of helpful tips or medical procedures available to those suffering。 Campbell offers up a deep-dive of his mind， in the hopes of helping someone else。 An admirable attempt at guiding those who need a little bit of help。  。。。more

Natalie Print ，

A brave book with a noble aim， Alastair Campbell expressed a desire to challenge the taboo around mental illness and hopefully help others through his book。 More of a biography through the lens of mental health/illness than a more general book about depression， it is deeply personal。 Unsurprisingly some politics creep it， but I hope that having someone who is well-known speak so candidly about his struggles will indeed help to challenge the stigma surrounding mental illness， across the political A brave book with a noble aim， Alastair Campbell expressed a desire to challenge the taboo around mental illness and hopefully help others through his book。 More of a biography through the lens of mental health/illness than a more general book about depression， it is deeply personal。 Unsurprisingly some politics creep it， but I hope that having someone who is well-known speak so candidly about his struggles will indeed help to challenge the stigma surrounding mental illness， across the political spectrum。 。。。more

Jim Downie ，

Highly recommended Great book with some helpful advice。。。。。would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in mental health issues。 AC himself is an interesting character。

Lindsay ，

A very interesting read on his personal struggle with living with depression。 It is not a self help book and there is no scientific remit。 However， his story gives an insight into treatment and supports he experienced， which in turn may help some people。

Jonny Brick ，

Memoir/self-help guide from Burnley superfan and sometime political guru who has no off-switch and， hopefully， never will have one。

Iola Shaw ，

This was the best book I've ever read or listened to on the experience of depression。 I related on far more levels than I anticipated - the range of tools that he offers as potential help for the days when you are scoring above 5 on the 1-10 depression scale were also extremely varied and I know some do work for me， but others not so much having used them myself。 this was really helpful in reinforcing just how much our individual experiences are individual and generalising "if you have depressio This was the best book I've ever read or listened to on the experience of depression。 I related on far more levels than I anticipated - the range of tools that he offers as potential help for the days when you are scoring above 5 on the 1-10 depression scale were also extremely varied and I know some do work for me， but others not so much having used them myself。 this was really helpful in reinforcing just how much our individual experiences are individual and generalising "if you have depression you will feel X" really has no place in an empathetic society。 I would love for this to be compulsory listening for everyone who ever makes the error of saying "what have you got to be depressed about？" or "you just need to think positive thoughts and you will buck out of it" prefereably at a fairly young age。 If I'd recognised my "bit of a low" times were depression there would have been a lot fewer breakups and/or job changes in my life。 The honesty about the relationship with suicidal ideation was also refreshing， for some of us these thoughts are part of the coping， and we have different ways to help ourselves ensure we stop short of 10。 Because Alistair has been such a public figure， and such a focus for so much antipathy I hope the book is more impactful， not just amunition for the trolls who think all life works in a very black/white all or nothing way， and fail to recognise that mostly life is nuanced。 。。。more

Ambrose ，

One of the best books on mental health with a profound personal perspective。 One of the most important books of Campbell's career。 One of the best books on mental health with a profound personal perspective。 One of the most important books of Campbell's career。 。。。more

Eric Kostadinov ，

A very good book highlighting how Campbell’s depressions began and recent techniques various people use to help their mental health。 Half of the book was basically a written story of the documentary he did on the BBC last summer。 A couple of things had a profound effect on me， firstly， the importance to acknowledge the things you are grateful for。 Secondly， the jam jar， and ensuring that you do something each day that is a ring of the jar （e。g， be creative， be curious， exercise etc）。 Even simple A very good book highlighting how Campbell’s depressions began and recent techniques various people use to help their mental health。 Half of the book was basically a written story of the documentary he did on the BBC last summer。 A couple of things had a profound effect on me， firstly， the importance to acknowledge the things you are grateful for。 Secondly， the jam jar， and ensuring that you do something each day that is a ring of the jar （e。g， be creative， be curious， exercise etc）。 Even simpler， it was interesting to hear how hard he sometimes finds doing the simplest of tasks， and I can relate to this。 On those days it’s important to be kind to yourself and to do as much as you can。 Campbell has an addictive personality and it was interesting to read how this effected him for better and for worse。 Food for thoughts in lots of areas and definitely a book I should flick back through from time to time 。。。more

Johanna ，

A brilliant insightful read and as it quotes on the front cover “could save someone’s life”。Very pertinent read for these times when everyone’s mental health is being challenged。

Summer Taylor ，

Much better than I thought。I often find when people talk about their own mental health it can just be the most self involved thing ever。 With no goal other than to talk about how hard one's life is。Campbell didn't do that。 He was personal but practical。 Lots of actionable suggestions。 Continual references were paid to his wife Fiona and what she'd been through at his side。I found his giving a pro and contra on medication healthy。 His transparency around his own medication was brilliant for fight Much better than I thought。I often find when people talk about their own mental health it can just be the most self involved thing ever。 With no goal other than to talk about how hard one's life is。Campbell didn't do that。 He was personal but practical。 Lots of actionable suggestions。 Continual references were paid to his wife Fiona and what she'd been through at his side。I found his giving a pro and contra on medication healthy。 His transparency around his own medication was brilliant for fighting stigma。 Campbell did say that the myth of people with psychotic illnesses either being creative geniuses or murderous needed to be dispelled。 Whilst his work does much to dislodge the latter， I worry about the former。 He contextualises his successes with recourse to his 'addictive personality' and 'workoholism' so not sure if that rather gives weight to the idea of his being a creative genius rather than discrediting it。What I liked:- Family history- Interviewing different sides of the debate （re。 medication）- Endorsement of pyslosibin （magic mushrooms） as medication and experimental drug trialsWhat I didn't like:- Fiona only having a chapter / found it difficult to relate to her。 What did she think and feel when AC hit himself in the face？ Or when he told her he was having suicidal feelings。 What do you say to someone when they say that？ We need more transparency around how to deal with this conversation。 Because if we are going to talk more about mental health， then we need to know how to respond。- Private education took a bashing but what about private health care？？ Pretty sure AC didn't see his shrink for a decade on the NHS？ I don't expect him to have done but I do expect him to have been transparent about it。Still。 Very good。 。。。more

Jen ，

As someone dealing with depression and anxiety I found this a strangely comforting book。 In some parts while reading it was simultaneously like being kicked in the teeth by how accurate to myself some of the elements were， a difficult-to-view reflection of the hollowness and the thought processes that lead to the hurtful behaviour against yourself and others， and an almost cathartic experience when I saw it laid out in black and white。 When talking about his own experiences of mental illness whe As someone dealing with depression and anxiety I found this a strangely comforting book。 In some parts while reading it was simultaneously like being kicked in the teeth by how accurate to myself some of the elements were， a difficult-to-view reflection of the hollowness and the thought processes that lead to the hurtful behaviour against yourself and others， and an almost cathartic experience when I saw it laid out in black and white。 When talking about his own experiences of mental illness whether his or through family， Campbell is frank and candid throughout without being harsh and I found the tone to be an easy one to 'listen' to and read。 The Afterword written by Fiona Campbell matches in tone and though short is in itself an important read， and provides an understanding of what it's like to live with from another angle。 Like The Happy Depressive I think this is one book that will stay with me， both on my shelf and as a supportive reminder。 Aside from that， it's given me different perspectives to think about in relation to my own experiences of mental illness and how I've been attempting to approach it。（And yes， I absolutely will be trying out the jam jar。） 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Living Better: How I Learned to Survive Depression

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Living Better: How I Learned to Survive Depression&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Living Better: How I Learned to Survive Depression&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0