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Issue Details: First known date: 2004... 2004 Bloodletting : A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm and Survival
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Bloodletting/ - , letting/ n.

1. Phlebotomy, the act or process of letting blood or bleeding, as by opening a vein or artery.

2. Outmoded medical practice used as a cure for illnesses ranging from fevers to hysteria.

Bloodletting is a frank, compelling and at times darkly humorous memoir boldly challenging the silence surrounding one of mental health's last taboos.

A close relative of bulimia and anorexia, it is estimated that up to 1 per cent of the population has intentionally harmed itself - yet for the most part it is a behaviour that goes unspoken, dismissed as the attention-seeking actions of prison in-mates or delinquent teenagers.

If you had run into Victoria on the street during her darkest days you would never have known the torment she endured. Confident, polite and articulate she could have been your sister, your workmate, your friend, your lover.

Yet from her late teens and throughout her twenties Victoria Leatham struggled with the overwhelming desire to hurt herself, a desire that was all-consuming and shaped every aspect of her life. And while not everyone who feels stressed, insecure or depressed will physically turn upon themselves, anyone who has ever felt out of control will recognise the logic that drove her.

Today Victoria is a happy, successful 30-something professional who only occasionally glances sideways at the bathroom cabinet.' (Allen and Unwin)

Notes

  • Dedication: To L and M. There are always other options.

Affiliation Notes

  • Writing Disability in Australia:

    Type of disability Bipolar disorder.
    Type of character Primary.
    Point of view First person (autobiographical).

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Crows Nest, North Sydney - Lane Cove area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Allen and Unwin , 2004 .
      image of person or book cover 6671399783896932772.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: xii, 202 p.p.
      ISBN: 1741141575

Works about this Work

[Review] Bloodletting : A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm and Survival Geoff Parkes , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: JAS Review of Books , June no. 24 2004;

— Review of Bloodletting : A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm and Survival Victoria Leatham , 2004 single work autobiography
The Tarnish on a Silver Spoon Natasha Cica , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 15-16 May 2004; (p. 12)

— Review of Bloodletting : A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm and Survival Victoria Leatham , 2004 single work autobiography
Hearing the Inner Voice in a Desperate Struggle of Self-Harm Leah de Forest , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 20 March 2004; (p. 2a)

— Review of Bloodletting : A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm and Survival Victoria Leatham , 2004 single work autobiography
Life in a Tormented Vein Mary Rose Liverani , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 13-14 March 2004; (p. 14)

— Review of Bloodletting : A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm and Survival Victoria Leatham , 2004 single work autobiography
Memoir Owen Richardson , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 6 March 2004; (p. 6)

— Review of Bloodletting : A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm and Survival Victoria Leatham , 2004 single work autobiography
Memoir Owen Richardson , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 6 March 2004; (p. 6)

— Review of Bloodletting : A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm and Survival Victoria Leatham , 2004 single work autobiography
Life in a Tormented Vein Mary Rose Liverani , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 13-14 March 2004; (p. 14)

— Review of Bloodletting : A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm and Survival Victoria Leatham , 2004 single work autobiography
Hearing the Inner Voice in a Desperate Struggle of Self-Harm Leah de Forest , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 20 March 2004; (p. 2a)

— Review of Bloodletting : A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm and Survival Victoria Leatham , 2004 single work autobiography
The Tarnish on a Silver Spoon Natasha Cica , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 15-16 May 2004; (p. 12)

— Review of Bloodletting : A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm and Survival Victoria Leatham , 2004 single work autobiography
[Review] Bloodletting : A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm and Survival Geoff Parkes , 2004 single work review
— Appears in: JAS Review of Books , June no. 24 2004;

— Review of Bloodletting : A Memoir of Secrets, Self-Harm and Survival Victoria Leatham , 2004 single work autobiography
Last amended 14 Nov 2018 16:17:40
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