I wish this book could be placed into the hands of all who needed to hear it’s messages about acceptance and care - those who need to receive those things and give them. Failing that, I hope that this is one instance where ‘trickle down ‘ works. The book is accessible and well-researched with Lucy acting as a kind of intermediary between those who have experienced the mental health issues discussed and the ‘experts’. The focus on language is thought-provoking. The emphasis on the need for us to be gentle with each other and less judgemental - however right we think we are - is refreshing and much needed.

This is a really timely book. It feels like all public discourse has become so charged that anything that could start to unpack the language used in many cases would be really welcomed. Now if we can just use this as a way to get a proper debate going and to consider how we treat others! But one step at a time. Snowflake is a really accessibly written book about attitudes towards mental health and the origin of certain commonly held misconceptions. I found it a fascinating read, one that explored how we casually say things and don’t consider the consequences. It doesn’t cast judgment as much as you might expect but asks for us to be considerate, kinder but reasoned. Mental ill health can affect so many people and at different times. It feels like the least we can do is try to understand our part in making people feel included. I hope this book can help.

For anyone wanting to be more informed and more of an ally, to have more understanding and compassion towards others, then this is the book for you. As someone with a mental health condition who has struggled to explain to family members and others, this book helped me so much in being able to explain myself and my condition.

TW: this book contains mentions of many mental health disorders and general mental illness. BUT this is reason for this book and I would totally recommend it once you undertaking it’s contents.

Thank you to NetGalley and Welbeck Publishing for accepting me as a pre-publication reviewer of this book.

This book was so so good. It is evidently clear that Lucy Nichol put a lot of passion and knowledge into it, it’s formatted exceptionally well, super easy to understand and very engaging. After the introduction which brings attention to the power of language as well as context when talking about mental health, each chapter deals with a common derogatory term - Nichol explains the term, it’s history/origins, how it leads to stigma - and then follows thorough with a linked condition and how stigma around language has impacted people. She inserts her own anecdotes, personal experience and also those of professionals (GPs, mental health nurses and doctors, charity organisations and many others) - the language is not super scientific but made to be understood by a large audience but is also sophisticated in the way it’s out forward - and people she reached out to on social media who have the condition and the way stigma has affected them. I think this setup was very well executed, I learned so much and was engaged throughout. It’s somewhat like a whistle-stop tour of various mental health issues with each not being too wordy or dragging on but does go into enough detail - I think this was done so we can do more reading and research if and when we want but it’s great starting place and Nichol provides us with resources and sources at the end to aid in this.

There were many takeaways from this book and I honestly learned a lot. I was also challenged in places which was great, it’s okay to admit we don’t know things and many people in this book have dealt with the same thing. It was great to read from an interested perspective but personally too and I am super happy I was able to read it and become more informed and hopefully a better resource for myself and others. It wasn’t exactly enjoyable due to the book’s contents but overall it was a mentally rewarding read and I cannot say a bad thing in terms of the writing which isn’t poetic or ‘beautiful’ but does read very well following a logical path.

The derogatory term and subsequent conditions discussed are:
Attention seeking - self harm
Snowflake - resilience
Miserable - antidepressants
Workshy - presenteeism/workplace culture
Psycho - psychopathy v psychosis (schizophrenia and other causes) + media portrayals
Neurotic - stigma around anxiety disorders: health anxiety (hypochondria), ocd, ptsd
Wino - trauma and addiction (to numb/distract) 80% people with addiction also have a mental health problem
Vain - eating disorders (esp on men)
Flawed - personality disorders + impact of labels and stigma (esp within mental health services)
Bad - people in the prison system - to access support? Get away from abuse? Addiction? lack of services + internal stigma
Asylums - psychiatric hospitals

Above is very barebones approach to the book’s contents and I did expand on each topic in my reading vlog/review you can see here: https://youtu.be/lVDNB46IKWs

Some quotes that spoke out to me:

‘All too often, symptoms are
being treated but the core problems are not.’ - to do with helping people with addiction but not the actual underlying condition
‘Stigma is a societal sickness that can cause distress and inhibit recovery and, put simply, it needs putting in its place - preferably in a locked box in a darkened room.’
‘Words matter. If they didn't, we wouldn't be so hopelessly devoted to them.’
‘…recover from the physical damage over time. However, as words escape our mouths or fingertips through typing, it's very onerous to take them back and they have the capacity to create fortresses in people's minds that can tremendously limit their self-worth, dismantle their self-esteem or destroy them mentally.’ - words certainly do matter!
‘calling somebody a snowflake comes across as being on a par with a toddler screaming “I hate you" because they've been caught stealing midget gems’
‘resilience is actually a by-product of being well supported. The more meaningful connections you have in your life, the more resilient you'll be’
‘checking in on someone and listening without judgement is paramount. Sometimes people are very good at masking what's going on inside.’
‘There is no illness in existence in which 'snapping out of it’ is an effective treatment.’ - this is so true
‘See the person, not the stereotype’ - my favourite and it can be said for many things that make us different
‘They say that relapse isn't part of recovery but I completely disagree - very few people get sober on their first try. Celebrate the small wins. Don't get caught up in perfection. DO NOT GIVE UP.’
‘everyone's personality is unique - just like every snowflake! And just because you have a specific personality disorder label it doesn't mean that you are like anybody else with that specific label.’

I'm a big fan of Lucy Nichol. I have read a couple of her previous books and I have followed her mental health campaigning for a while now.
This book is up there with some of the best I have read on the topic of mental health. I think the title can be a bit misleading, as I would think it would be for the 'young people' due to the term 'snowflake' - I couldn't have been more wrong.
As a 30-something woman who has been suffering with my mental health for some time, this book really spoke to me. Lucy Nichol's writing is so comforting and personable. It feels very conversational, even though it still includes facts and figures, it's not overwhelming.
There are many different topics that Nichol's covers in this book, some were more relevant to me than others but I definitely got a lot from every section.

This was such a relatable book - as someone who suffers with mental health issues I found it oddly comforting to read about the stigmas and stereotypes associated with mental health issues, as it sort of validated how I feel sometimes? It made my feelings and behaviours seem more ‘normal’.

It is a super easy read and very digestible for a non-fiction. It felt very conversational and not an information overload, and there was nothing too technical.

Definitely recommend if you’re interested in finding out more about how to break stigmas and stereotypes surrounding mental health issues, or to be angered by the fact that they exist 😄