Building a Life Worth Living: A Memoir

In this powerful and intimate memoir, psychologist Linehan shares the history of her own mental illness as well as the development of her treatment for suicidal individuals, called Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Her memoir follows her “descent into hell” with mental illness, her spiritual evolution (raised a Catholic, she becomes a self-described Zen master), and her work as a research professor. She writes of her youth in Tulsa, Okla., as one of six children born to an oil executive and his wife, who was active in their community. At 18, Linehan entered a deep depression and became suicidal; her parents committed her to a mental institution, where she engaged in self-burning and self-cutting, was heavily medicated, placed in seclusion for 12 weeks, and received shock therapy. Linehan made a vow to help others like herself, and after two years she was released and became a psychologist, ultimately developing DBT by combining practical life skills, Zen teachings, and behavior therapy. Linehan ably guides readers along her roller-coaster life as she conquers the male-dominated world of academia while hiding her physical and emotional scars. In spite of challenges, the author was determined and optimistic: “You can’t think yourself into new ways of acting; you can only act yourself into new ways of thinking.” Readers looking to overcome their past will find inspiration in this dramatic, heartfelt narrative. (Jan.)