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Beating the Adversary: A True Story of Schizoaffective Disorder
Ever since Rick fell off a chair as a toddler, he's seen things no one else can see. The monsters are no longer confined to his comic books - they're real, and they want to drag him out of high school and into the depths of Hell. Nothing and no one is what they seem. No one can be trusted.
This is the true story of a teenager battling the demons of his mind while he struggles through adolescence. It's an intense coming-of-age journey from school to hospital to eventual survival - and a lesson that no matter how powerful your adversary is, you too can beat it.
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'A fascinating and terrifying narrative of the challenges of growing up with a serious mental disorder. This is a book everyone would benefit from reading. Rick should be commended for his strength and opening a dialogue about our society and mental health.'
Ryan FitzGerald, Co-Founder of Depression Tribe www.depressiontribe.com
This is the true story of a teenager battling the demons of his mind while he struggles through adolescence. It's an intense coming-of-age journey from school to hospital to eventual survival - and a lesson that no matter how powerful your adversary is, you too can beat it.
---------------------------------------------------------------
'A fascinating and terrifying narrative of the challenges of growing up with a serious mental disorder. This is a book everyone would benefit from reading. Rick should be commended for his strength and opening a dialogue about our society and mental health.'
Ryan FitzGerald, Co-Founder of Depression Tribe www.depressiontribe.com
420 pages, Paperback
First published November 22, 2014
204 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 7, 2014
This is a powerfully moving insight into the serious mental illness affecting a young person. The simplicity of the language really enhances the emotional impact of the narrative, especially when the reader is not really familiar with mental illness first-hand. This is a book that everyone should read.
April 12, 2017
I'm a little disappointed with this book. Although I did get some insight to the disorder, I wanted to know how the author went through life as an adult. Even though he could have went into less detail about his missionary work, I am happy he found help in the church.
December 19, 2024
As the editor of this book, I want to share my introduction, as it is the best review I can give:
Until I met Richard (Rick) Price, I confess I had never heard of Schizoaffective Disorder – and I consider myself more informed about these things than the average person on the street. That alone told me the subject demanded more ‘publicity’, if you will.
I have now learned it is a condition that affects an estimated 0.5-0.8% of the population, which adds up to quite a number of people – almost as many as those who struggle with more commonly talked about conditions such as Tourette Syndrome.
The term Schizoaffective Disorder was first coined in 1933 by a doctor named Jacob Kasanin as a way of addressing the frequent overlap between psychosis and mood disorder – psychosis referring to a difficulty in determining what is real and what is not.
Symptoms of psychosis include delusions and hallucinations – which, as you will see from Rick’s story, can be startlingly vivid. At times, it’s difficult even for the reader to be certain what is really happening in his personal account. Imagine what it must have been like for him to live through that.
The mood disorder element of the condition can take the form of either major depression or bipolar disorder (fairly regular cycles of depression and mania). Rick has struggled with bipolar disorder, which can be a very serious condition presenting itself by turns through poor concentration, sleep problems, apathy, feelings of worthlessness, impulsiveness, racing thoughts, hyper- or hypo-reactions to events and people, and – at worst – suicidal thinking or behaviour.
I think the racing thoughts and disorganised thoughts may have been the biggest challenge in putting this book together. We wanted to make sure the reader got a clear picture of Rick’s struggle; but equally, we wanted to make a book that accurately portrayed the condition, in order to educate people (including me!) about something that deserves more understanding. As a compromise, the racing thoughts are still included, but have been abridged to ease reading.
Living with such a condition can, predictably, affect one’s social life. Making friends and starting a family is a challenge; and anyone with a mood disorder (such as myself) will know it affects your ability to focus and succeed in school. And after all that, imagine how hard it is to hold down a job when you’re subject to unpredictable tormenting hallucinations, or if you have a major depressive episode that leaves you struggling to get out of bed, much less be productive.
Many sufferers of the condition don’t receive a diagnosis for years. This is because psychotic episodes can be caused by all sorts of things – drug abuse, delirium, blood and thyroid problems, epilepsy, extreme stress, sleeping pills, anti-depressants, ADHD medication and even some dietary supplements. To achieve the correct diagnosis can be a laborious and frustrating process. Once diagnosis is established, patients can expect to be treated through medication, exercise regimes (Rick self-medicated through exercise, something I think helped him get through adolescence intact) and, in extreme cases, hospitalisation – like Rick.
The first part of this book focuses on Rick’s time in high school. The middle section concentrates on his time in hospital, his diagnosis, and his rehabilitation into school. The final section is the story of his ‘healing’. In earlier drafts, Rick shied away from speaking too much about his faith. He was adamant that he didn’t want to sound preachy. However, I didn’t feel his story would be complete without giving this more attention.
Something I noted in Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction and Poetry about OCD, by People with OCD was that interestingly, it seems these conditions frequently play on our most deeply held beliefs and values. Indeed, in many ways OCD can be viewed as a break from reality. And for Rick, the hallucinations targeted his faith. So it only makes sense that in order to grow beyond his diagnosis, he had to reach inside and hold that faith as tightly as he could. That is what the final section of his story is about.
Many people with such diagnoses can’t write a book; it’s a project that demands structure and clarity. That Rick has done this is a tremendous achievement – something I cannot stress enough. He has gone through more than most people have, but he has refused to let it hold him back. Instead, he has channelled his trauma into a positive message, teaching us all that no matter what our ‘Adversary’ may be, we have the power to beat it.
Vrinda Pendred
Editor and Founder of Conditional Publications
22 January 2014
Until I met Richard (Rick) Price, I confess I had never heard of Schizoaffective Disorder – and I consider myself more informed about these things than the average person on the street. That alone told me the subject demanded more ‘publicity’, if you will.
I have now learned it is a condition that affects an estimated 0.5-0.8% of the population, which adds up to quite a number of people – almost as many as those who struggle with more commonly talked about conditions such as Tourette Syndrome.
The term Schizoaffective Disorder was first coined in 1933 by a doctor named Jacob Kasanin as a way of addressing the frequent overlap between psychosis and mood disorder – psychosis referring to a difficulty in determining what is real and what is not.
Symptoms of psychosis include delusions and hallucinations – which, as you will see from Rick’s story, can be startlingly vivid. At times, it’s difficult even for the reader to be certain what is really happening in his personal account. Imagine what it must have been like for him to live through that.
The mood disorder element of the condition can take the form of either major depression or bipolar disorder (fairly regular cycles of depression and mania). Rick has struggled with bipolar disorder, which can be a very serious condition presenting itself by turns through poor concentration, sleep problems, apathy, feelings of worthlessness, impulsiveness, racing thoughts, hyper- or hypo-reactions to events and people, and – at worst – suicidal thinking or behaviour.
I think the racing thoughts and disorganised thoughts may have been the biggest challenge in putting this book together. We wanted to make sure the reader got a clear picture of Rick’s struggle; but equally, we wanted to make a book that accurately portrayed the condition, in order to educate people (including me!) about something that deserves more understanding. As a compromise, the racing thoughts are still included, but have been abridged to ease reading.
Living with such a condition can, predictably, affect one’s social life. Making friends and starting a family is a challenge; and anyone with a mood disorder (such as myself) will know it affects your ability to focus and succeed in school. And after all that, imagine how hard it is to hold down a job when you’re subject to unpredictable tormenting hallucinations, or if you have a major depressive episode that leaves you struggling to get out of bed, much less be productive.
Many sufferers of the condition don’t receive a diagnosis for years. This is because psychotic episodes can be caused by all sorts of things – drug abuse, delirium, blood and thyroid problems, epilepsy, extreme stress, sleeping pills, anti-depressants, ADHD medication and even some dietary supplements. To achieve the correct diagnosis can be a laborious and frustrating process. Once diagnosis is established, patients can expect to be treated through medication, exercise regimes (Rick self-medicated through exercise, something I think helped him get through adolescence intact) and, in extreme cases, hospitalisation – like Rick.
The first part of this book focuses on Rick’s time in high school. The middle section concentrates on his time in hospital, his diagnosis, and his rehabilitation into school. The final section is the story of his ‘healing’. In earlier drafts, Rick shied away from speaking too much about his faith. He was adamant that he didn’t want to sound preachy. However, I didn’t feel his story would be complete without giving this more attention.
Something I noted in Check Mates: A Collection of Fiction and Poetry about OCD, by People with OCD was that interestingly, it seems these conditions frequently play on our most deeply held beliefs and values. Indeed, in many ways OCD can be viewed as a break from reality. And for Rick, the hallucinations targeted his faith. So it only makes sense that in order to grow beyond his diagnosis, he had to reach inside and hold that faith as tightly as he could. That is what the final section of his story is about.
Many people with such diagnoses can’t write a book; it’s a project that demands structure and clarity. That Rick has done this is a tremendous achievement – something I cannot stress enough. He has gone through more than most people have, but he has refused to let it hold him back. Instead, he has channelled his trauma into a positive message, teaching us all that no matter what our ‘Adversary’ may be, we have the power to beat it.
Vrinda Pendred
Editor and Founder of Conditional Publications
22 January 2014
November 25, 2014
Great work!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews