All In Her Head
In this provocative debut nonfiction book, Misty Pratt weaves together science and women's personal experiences in the mental healthcare system.
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Listed as one of the next Feminist Reads of 2024 by Laura Bates.
I started to tell myself that I wasn’t broken.
I discovered there was a place deep inside me where I was free, where I was not defined by mental illness, where I was a whole person…
BOOK REVIEWS
"Ideal for both general readers and for mental health professionals. [All in Her Head] deftly brings awareness to biases and dismissive attitudes about women patients and the barriers they face when they seek treatment and relief."
—Library Journal
"[An] incisive debut...Artfully weaving personal anecdotes into her probing analysis, Pratt demonstrates how broad social and historical forces converge on the individual. It’s a troubling assessment of sexism’s persistent harms."
—Publishers Weekly
“In this captivating debut, Pratt seamlessly blends personal experience with hard-nosed research to expose how women fall through the cracks of mental health care and what can be done about it. While gently guiding readers on her own depression journey, Pratt masterfully weaves expert narrative alongside heartfelt interviews and facts, offering a path through the mental health maze by means of advocacy, education and empowerment. All In Her Head belongs on every bookshelf as a call to action and a powerful, informative read.”
—Kelly S. Thompson, bestselling author of Still, I Cannot Save You and Girls Need Not Apply
“All in Her Head is a long-overdue, rigorously researched excavation of the roots of women’s mental illness and an indictment of a medical system that too often dismisses or pathologizes their symptoms instead of offering true healing.”
—Maya Dusenbery, author of Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick
“Enlivening, engaging, and enraging—Misty Pratt takes the reader by the hand to explore the myriad ways we fail women’s mental health and set women’s minds, brains, and bodies up for failure. I hope this makes you mad.”
—Anna Mehler Paperny, author of Hello I Want to Die Please Fix Me
"Beautifully written and meticulously researched, All in Her Head is one part medical mystery and one part group therapy session. If you’ve ever felt frustrated or exhausted by painfully simplistic one-size-fits-all mental health advice, you’ll appreciate the wise, compassionate, and unapologetically political voice of Misty Pratt. Her key takeaway message? It doesn’t have to be this way. Women deserve so much better.”
—Ann Douglas, author of Navigating The Messy Middle: A Fiercely Honest and Wildly Encouraging Guide for Midlife Women
Ottawa Based Feminist Writer
Misty Pratt
"For too long, women have been told what they think, feel, and experience, and they’ve even been told that what they think, feel, and experience is all wrong. As we come to better understand our own bodies, and to rely on the inner science of what our bodies are telling us, we can realize this type of knowledge is valid and meaningful."
Quote from All In Her Head: How Gender Bias Harms Women’s Health
Portfolio
I’ve written for a variety of print and online publications, including:
Today’s Parent
Broadview Magazine
Mindful Magazine
Most recently I’ve been collecting and sharing my news and latest pieces on Substack.
"Healing is about shifting our collective understanding of mental well-being; it is not a constant state of joy and happiness, but a deeper knowing that to be human is to be emotional, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows."
~ Misty Pratt
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Unmasking gender bias in mental healthcare and the medicalization of women's moods. I'll break down the latest sex- and gender-based research, highlight pain points in mental healthcare, and share insights as a first-time non-fiction author.