My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope

Devoured this in one day. Lesson learned..If you aren't willing to feel it, you can't heal it. Repressed and stuffed emotions are killers. No one should live in their past, rather embrace, mourn and purge it through feeling, crying, forgiveness and making peace with yourself. I felt like I wanted to pick up the phone and chat with Naomi for hours after this read. For those who would say, "your past is in the past, nothing you can do about it...move on"..TRUE. But is you shove it under a rug and push down the sadness and pain..it will come out somewhere..usually in the form of self-destructive behaviors. (addictions, compulsions, etc.) This is a RAW, REAL, read, which in and of itself is proof of the healing she has had. When you have REAL healing, you don't walk in the shame and denial any longer. You can face it head on and grow to be more interested in gleening healing more than what others may think about you. THIS is the evidence of a mind, heart and soul becoming whole again. BRAVO Naomi!!!!!!!

Read this book in one sitting. I could have written the mother daughter dynamics. My only issue was that klonopin got such a bad rap. I take it as prescribed for over year and have had no problems I don't know how I could deal with anxiety without it. I have dealt with anxiety and depression since I was a teenager. Regardless her story was honest and hopeful. Always good to feel you're not the only one
in this world of depression and anxiety and all that comes with it. The good and the blessings. thank you for sharing your story

Naomi did an excellent job of describing what resistant depression and anxiety can look like. Having been in her shoes, I can truthfully say she was spot on. The great thing is she was able to fully recover and live a functional life again. It might have been different, but she still was able to find her joy again. It was just in different things. She also gave great recommendations for how to recover. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, not just those of us who struggle with depression and anxiety.

I so empathize with this talented lady and what she had to go through to find relief from her depression and other medical issues
that the medical establishment has such a hard time treating.

I loved the music she made with her daughter when they were The Judds. Wish they were still together writing new songs!

This was a very well written and extremely informative book! I'm very happy that Naomi Judd wrote this book and I'm sure it will be a great help to others who are suffering from depression, anxiety and panic attacks. She is to be commended for her courage!

A real pity party. .I have suffered for 20 years..not my kids fault or the way I was raised. ..being 18 with a baby was the norm back then sometimes younger...so I felt she was really blaming so many for her condition. ..sometime depression just happens..no one's fault!

Naomi Judd has opened up and shared the journey of her life with us and I admire her strength in doing so!! "River of Time" is a riveting read and having suffered from both depression and anxiety myself, I could so relate to many of her descriptions of the effects of these maladies and her often total amazement at the Psychiatric field of medicine. It is my hope that all family members and close friends of sufferers of these diseases read this book...Yes, Naomi has revealed facts each of you need to understand fully in a very easy to comprehend and read manner!! I wish Naomi well as she continues in therapy in hopes of dealing with her disease in a constructive and "one day at a time" manner. God Bless You, Naomi for being so giving of your very personal story and sparing none of the ugly details that come to each and every sufferer of these diseases. An excellent book and a much needed look at the revolving door of Mental Illness treatment that exists for all!!

I purchased this book on Audible. The narrative starts with a Doctor of Naomi's who goes on at great length about how intelligent and talented she is. Naomi starts to narrate the book, then suddenly with no explanation, another woman starts to narrate as Naomi. Then, I think another woman starts to narrate who has more of a Southern accent then the last narrator. That's not my biggest problem with the book. She rambles on so much it's hard to keep the story straight. I would give some specifics,but they would be spoilers. I think if you want to tell your true story you would call your children by their given names. She calls Wynonna, "Wy" from her birth. Why would she call her that when her real name is Christina? The story of her first pregnancy, and the subsequent birth of "W" to her first husband make no sense. I have suffered with depression and anxiety as extreme as Naomi's. That's the reason I purchased the book. I also have had similar life situations (except for the fame and glory). I just couldn't relate to her rambling narrative of her life and illness. I can't recommend this book to anyone who is looking into insight on their own illness.

This book is an invaluable contribution to the world of understanding major depression. As others have already said, the descriptions of Naomi's emotional experiences during this time are so familiar to those who have went through this same nightmare. I am not sure whether this book is more helpful to actual sufferers or those who have not had the misfortune of experiencing clinical depression.

After reading some of the reviews, I have to wonder if there is a mistaken belief that the hospitals and outpatient treatment programs Naomi sought treatment from are necessarily better than many other private and non-profit treatment facilities in the country. For instance, are the psych wards at the hospitals in Nashville far superior to others in the country? Was her psychiatrist far superior to the average psychiatrist in the nation? I kind of figured that the treatment facilities in Scottsdale and California were chosen in part due to the anonymity that a patient might receive as much as for the quality of care. In fact, I was surprised that Naomi's admission to the hospital in Nashville was not leaked to the media. While they may not be as plentiful as we all would like, there are definitely hospital and outpatient treatment programs in the country that are accessible to many sufferers of depression. Granted, it may sometimes require seeking them out in another city in the state or region but they are often available. From my perspective, it just seems that some reviewers are being unfairly harsh to Naomi Judd regarding the treatment she received.

Books like this one help to normalize clinical depression in our society. Many sufferers wait until they are nearly emotionally lifeless to seek help because of all of the shame and guilt associated with this illness. We need to reach a point in our culture where most people recognize that this is a physical brain illness that is best treated at its onset rather than when the sufferer is at the point of hopelessness and desperation. This book assists in moving us in that direction. Thanks, Naomi!

Some reviewers gave a poor rating because they can't relate to Ms. Judd's story. I understand not being able to relate to a book and giving it a poor review. However, I very much relate to this story and applaud her for taking the time to write it all down for the world to see. I really don't think she had to do this for the money. Pretty sure she has enough without writing a book about her traumatic life experiences which began at a young age. I give her lots of credit for being willing to share this with the world and showing people that no matter how financially successful you are, unless you deal with your past traumas they will come back to haunt you and your loved ones.

Naomi is half of a very successful mother and daughter singing group. Her rise from poverty and struggles with raising two daughters on her own has been well documented. Once the spotlight faded however she suffered from severe depression. This book is hard to read but she is very honest about her disease. She writes about her struggle with her disease, the medical establishment and her difficult childhood. It is obvious she wrote this book in hopes of helping others. At the end of the book she does offer helpful advice. I found the book very easy to read and hard to put down. Whether you or someone you know is struggling with depression this book will inspire you.

I really could not
get into this book. I simpathize with what she went through but she just kept repeating the same thing Chapter after Chapter. I skipped over most of the book. Sorry . My opinion might not be others. Will I read her other books. Probably not. ?

I think if she could have continued performing she would have been fine. She seems to have self-destructed when she was no longer relevant to the entertainment world. Her relationship with her fans was more important than her relationship with her daughters, which may explain the difficulties she now has with Wynonna, and I suspect with Ashley, to some degree, also. Questionable quality of psychiatric care for a wealthy and famous patient. Overall. just another celebrity, who by publishing her family's ups and downs, will again bring her back into the spotlight for a minute.

Thank you Naomi for writing this book, I to suffer from anxiety and depression. This book has opened some parts of me that I haven't felt in a very long time. Thank you for being so brave to share your journey with us