YouTuber’s Book Deals with Mental Illness

Still Image via doddleoddle on YouTube Dodie Clark’s book is bountiful with struggles and relatable topics. Still Image via doddleoddle on YouTube
Dodie Clark’s book is bountiful with struggles and relatable topics.

By Amanda Berry
Staff Writer

If you are looking for a good book to read this semester, “Secrets For The Mad” by Dodie Clark, is something you must pick up.

Clark is a 22-year old woman who makes music and videos on YouTube, but there is something about her you wouldn’t know just from seeing her on a screen.

Clark suffers from depersonalization disorder, a mental illness where a person feels detached from themselves. Through her book she teaches the readers about what it is like living with the disorder. She also touches on many other health related topics within the book. Through writing poems and stories about her life readers can relate easily to her struggles.

The book is set up in parts rather than chapters, going through the stages or topics from her life. The first portion of the book talks mostly about living with her disorder, but also on how to cope with anxiety, depression, or just overall feelings of sadness.

As the book goes on, you learn more and more about Clark as a child and how she dealt with her problems. Through her poems and songs that are scattered throughout the book, she gives you a sense of calmness and belonging because there is something for everyone to relate to.

The end of the book brings a lighter and happier tone. Clark is now exploring her current life and tells the audience how they too can learn from and cope with the bad things that go on in their everyday lives.

This book is a great read for anyone because it is so lighthearted and honest. Even if you do not suffer from any mental illnesses, she also discusses life topics such as death, heartbreak and even abusive relationships.

Clark has a beautiful way with words, and this has a lot to do with the fact she is also a songwriter. It is easier for her to express her feelings in a way many people can relate to through her songs and poems instead of just words.

Although the book is not a very long read, at 248 pages, this is a book that anyone can pick up and read again whenever they need a little advice or cheering up. While she does not claim to have her whole life figured out, she wants her readers to know that they are not alone in their struggles and that things can get better.

Email Amanda at:
aberry1@live.esu.edu