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Madness: A Memoir
Author(s): Kate Richards ISBN: 9780143571391 Binding: Paperback Published: 2014-02-26 It's not every day you get to admit you're mad. The thing with psychosis is that when I'm sick I believe the delusional stuff to the same degree that you might know the sky is above and the earth below. And if someone were to say to me that the delusional thinking is, in fact, delusional, well that's the same as if I assure you now that we walk on the sky. Of course you wouldn't believe me, and that's why it's sometimes so hard for people who are sick like this to know that they need treatment. Psychosis and severe depression have a huge effect on how you relate to other people and how you see the world. It's a bit like being in a vacuum, or behind a wall of really thick glass . . . you lose any sense of connectedness. You're cast adrift from everyone and everything that matters. I've lived with acute psychosis and depression for the best part of twenty years. This is the story of my journey from chaos to balance, and from limbo to meaning. Kate Richards is a trained doctor currently working in medical research.
272 pages, Paperback
Published February 26, 2014
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July 17, 2022
A poetically beautiful and honest description of the author's experiences of struggling with mental illness and her journey towards self-management of it.
Through this writing we get a wonderful insight into her unique qualities, the value of her support team of friends, parents and health practitioners, and the strengths and weaknesses of Australia's health system in relation to mental health.
I admit that I had to force myself through the first chapter in close to vaso-vagal shock, as the graphic description of self-injury was so detailed and real that my system started to try to protect itself. After this, however, the book was immensely readable.
I related to both her personality and interests as well as to her experiences of illness; the similarities and differences to my own experiences were illuminating. A beautifully real, insightful and intense memoir of great value to the wisdom of the world.
Through this writing we get a wonderful insight into her unique qualities, the value of her support team of friends, parents and health practitioners, and the strengths and weaknesses of Australia's health system in relation to mental health.
I admit that I had to force myself through the first chapter in close to vaso-vagal shock, as the graphic description of self-injury was so detailed and real that my system started to try to protect itself. After this, however, the book was immensely readable.
I related to both her personality and interests as well as to her experiences of illness; the similarities and differences to my own experiences were illuminating. A beautifully real, insightful and intense memoir of great value to the wisdom of the world.
Displaying 1 of 1 review