Author Description

Cait Irwin began struggling with depression at age fourteen, experiencing it as an all-consuming sadness which grew into a beast that attacked her self-esteem, confidence, trust, and love of life. Like many other teenagers, Cait was at a point where she could no longer cope, and was eventually hospitalized for suicidal thoughts. As part of her recovery process, Cait began to chronicle her depression in a journal, using a graphic-novel approach to depict her harrowing yet inspiring true-life story. Now, Cait and her family have transformed her journal -- her personal experiences -- into this special and unique book. In Conquering the Beast Within, Cait explains how depression, which she conjures up as a mythical beast, can inflict a whole range of debilitating symptoms, from dangerously low self-esteem and paranoia to headaches, blurred vision, and lethargy. She candidly portrays the two-steps-forward, one-step-back process of getting therapy and finding the right medication. Finally, she depicts the joy and relief of getting your life back again. Her powerful message is: Seek help -- you are not alone. Conquering the Beast Within has the potential to help countless others who have travelled the same dark road and are searching for compassionate answers.