What do you think?
Rate this book
Manic Man: How to Live Successfully with a Severe Mental Illness
Manic How to Live Successfully with a Severe Mental Illness is an account of Jason Wegner's experiences living with a severe mental bipolar I disorder.
The story begins with an outline of Jason's normal life and then describes the hypomanic stage of his illness. The mania starts with his experience of taking the dangerous psychedelic drug LSD and takes off a few weeks later in Tanzania, Africa. He is in a full-blown manic episode while in Africa, and his behaviours and thoughts captured demonstrate this. Weeks of mania continued after he was home from Africa until he was tricked into going in an ambulance and taken to the hospital's emergency wing. He would be hospitalized in the acute psychiatry ward for 57 days, and seven months of depression follows his hospitalization.
To lift himself out of his severe depression, his psychologist, Dr. Kerry Bernes, develops "The Octagon of Life," which is the eight areas of life that he gets Jason to focus on. Following the plan, Jason gets out of depression and experiences post-traumatic growth and becomes a more successful person than he was before his diagnosis.
The story begins with an outline of Jason's normal life and then describes the hypomanic stage of his illness. The mania starts with his experience of taking the dangerous psychedelic drug LSD and takes off a few weeks later in Tanzania, Africa. He is in a full-blown manic episode while in Africa, and his behaviours and thoughts captured demonstrate this. Weeks of mania continued after he was home from Africa until he was tricked into going in an ambulance and taken to the hospital's emergency wing. He would be hospitalized in the acute psychiatry ward for 57 days, and seven months of depression follows his hospitalization.
To lift himself out of his severe depression, his psychologist, Dr. Kerry Bernes, develops "The Octagon of Life," which is the eight areas of life that he gets Jason to focus on. Following the plan, Jason gets out of depression and experiences post-traumatic growth and becomes a more successful person than he was before his diagnosis.
- GenresMental HealthNonfiction
244 pages, Paperback
Published October 14, 2021
6 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 30, 2021
My review is on my website www.bookread2day.wordpress.com
Twitter @bookread2day
As I was reading all about Jason’s manic episodes I thought this is a raw read, one of the toughest books about mental illness that I have ever read.
I really learned quite a lot about bipolar disorders that I didn’t know before reading Manic Man. I didn’t even know that bipolar disorder effects one out of every 100 people.
As Manic Man is a true account I believe this book would be a great book club choice to discuss its chapter sections and for everyone to express their feelings and give support for those who suffer from bipolar disorders.
I feel that it is very brave of Jason Werner talk openly about how he was wheeled into the acute psychiatry ward in a hospital, suffering from Bipolar 1 disorder which is a mental illness that causes mood, energy, activity levels, concentration and the ability to carry out day to day tasks.
Jason in quite open about these are known as manic episode. With bipolar 1 that usually requires hospitalisation. The deepest question is what is it like living with bipolar 1 disorder, well this was my favourite part of the story Jason explains what’s it’s like and how to recover from it. My second favourite part of the book is how Jason talks about depression. So many people go through depression but the hardest part is explaining what depression is to someone who has never experienced it, and the side effects to depression are discussed.
For Jason the writing process of this book is part of his treatment of how he ended up in hospital and with confronting his actions into his behaviour during his manic episodes, and to come to terms with his severe mental illness.
Twitter @bookread2day
As I was reading all about Jason’s manic episodes I thought this is a raw read, one of the toughest books about mental illness that I have ever read.
I really learned quite a lot about bipolar disorders that I didn’t know before reading Manic Man. I didn’t even know that bipolar disorder effects one out of every 100 people.
As Manic Man is a true account I believe this book would be a great book club choice to discuss its chapter sections and for everyone to express their feelings and give support for those who suffer from bipolar disorders.
I feel that it is very brave of Jason Werner talk openly about how he was wheeled into the acute psychiatry ward in a hospital, suffering from Bipolar 1 disorder which is a mental illness that causes mood, energy, activity levels, concentration and the ability to carry out day to day tasks.
Jason in quite open about these are known as manic episode. With bipolar 1 that usually requires hospitalisation. The deepest question is what is it like living with bipolar 1 disorder, well this was my favourite part of the story Jason explains what’s it’s like and how to recover from it. My second favourite part of the book is how Jason talks about depression. So many people go through depression but the hardest part is explaining what depression is to someone who has never experienced it, and the side effects to depression are discussed.
For Jason the writing process of this book is part of his treatment of how he ended up in hospital and with confronting his actions into his behaviour during his manic episodes, and to come to terms with his severe mental illness.
November 11, 2021
Manic Man: How to Live Successfully with a Severe Mental Illness is an account of Jason Wegner's experiences living with a severe mental illness: bipolar I disorder. I was enticed by Jason Wegner's writing style throughout this. It was an emotional rollercoaster throughout and told the story of how he ended up being hospitalised, and how that changed his life. His vulnerability I'm sure will help break the stigma around bipolar and other mental illnesses. I could not recommend it enough.
October 23, 2021
Manic Man: How to Live Successfully with a Severe Mental Illness by Jason Wegner, with a foreword by Dr. Kerry Barnes, is a memoir of a first episode of bipolar mania and subsequent recovery.
The book’s prologue opens with the author’s parents having called paramedics to take him to hospital. It then shifts back in time to build up to when he started to get hypomanic, which grew into mania.
The book captures the grandiosity and big ideas that come with mania, along with excessive spending and lack of sleep. While manic, the author was writing a lot, including texting and posting on social media, as well as making a lot of audio recordings, and he draws on these to construct a coherent narrative of his manic episode that probably would have been difficult to do otherwise. There are pictures of some of his writing inside the book and on the cover. Together, these different pieces give the reader really good insights into what mania is like.
The author describes how his friends and family were getting concerned about him and wondering if he was on drugs, but he himself didn’t have any insight into the fact that he was unwell.
About three-quarters of the way through the book, the narrative catches up to the prologue where the author was hospitalized. He writes about appealing his committal, and includes quotes from the panel’s written reasons for keeping him detained in hospital. It’s quite interesting to see that side of the story, along with excerpts from doctors’ notes in his chart.
The book then shifts to working on recovery, which was interrupted by a depressive episode. He worked closely with his psychologist Dr. Bernes, who wrote the book’s foreword, and together they developed a holistic program for recovery that they called the Octagon of Life. This included elements like exercise, nutrition, and exposure therapy (including writing this book) to process the traumatic experience of mania. Together, the eight elements of the Octagon of Life allowed the author to rebuild his life and achieve post-traumatic growth, and the book takes a hopeful stance that recovery is possible. The author is now pursuing a career as a teacher.
The author shows a willingness to be vulnerable and open about his experiences, even those experiences that might be considered embarrassing. This gives a very genuine picture of what it’s like to be manic. I think this book would be a good choice for anyone looking to gain a better understanding of bipolar mania, and particularly for anyone who’s been newly diagnosed.
I received a reviewer copy from the publisher through Netgalley.
The book’s prologue opens with the author’s parents having called paramedics to take him to hospital. It then shifts back in time to build up to when he started to get hypomanic, which grew into mania.
The book captures the grandiosity and big ideas that come with mania, along with excessive spending and lack of sleep. While manic, the author was writing a lot, including texting and posting on social media, as well as making a lot of audio recordings, and he draws on these to construct a coherent narrative of his manic episode that probably would have been difficult to do otherwise. There are pictures of some of his writing inside the book and on the cover. Together, these different pieces give the reader really good insights into what mania is like.
The author describes how his friends and family were getting concerned about him and wondering if he was on drugs, but he himself didn’t have any insight into the fact that he was unwell.
About three-quarters of the way through the book, the narrative catches up to the prologue where the author was hospitalized. He writes about appealing his committal, and includes quotes from the panel’s written reasons for keeping him detained in hospital. It’s quite interesting to see that side of the story, along with excerpts from doctors’ notes in his chart.
The book then shifts to working on recovery, which was interrupted by a depressive episode. He worked closely with his psychologist Dr. Bernes, who wrote the book’s foreword, and together they developed a holistic program for recovery that they called the Octagon of Life. This included elements like exercise, nutrition, and exposure therapy (including writing this book) to process the traumatic experience of mania. Together, the eight elements of the Octagon of Life allowed the author to rebuild his life and achieve post-traumatic growth, and the book takes a hopeful stance that recovery is possible. The author is now pursuing a career as a teacher.
The author shows a willingness to be vulnerable and open about his experiences, even those experiences that might be considered embarrassing. This gives a very genuine picture of what it’s like to be manic. I think this book would be a good choice for anyone looking to gain a better understanding of bipolar mania, and particularly for anyone who’s been newly diagnosed.
I received a reviewer copy from the publisher through Netgalley.
Read
April 28, 2022Read about this book from the Lethbridge Herald and read it last night.
October 18, 2022
I think this is an important book for people struggling with mental illness; particularly bipolar disorder-and also for their loved ones. It is an honest and open account of a difficult journey and it offers so much hope. I really liked Jason’s sharing of how he applied the Octagon of Life. This ,I would think would be most helpful to others who are struggling with illness but it is also a structure we could all use to live our best lives and be our best selves.
What an accomplishment to have written this book and at such a young age!
What an accomplishment to have written this book and at such a young age!
November 24, 2021
Mental illness still carries with it today a significant amount of stigma and conditions such as bipolar seem to be little understood and so carry more than most. In ‘Manic Man: How to Live Successfully with a Severe Mental Illness’ Jason Wegner challenges such notions and stereotypes illustrating rather wonderfully how it is possible to be incredibly successful and fulfilled despite the obstacles and challenges one may face.
The book begins with the author’s first encounter with the education system where he was treated pretty outrageously by individuals that should have been offering support and guidance. Moving away the education sector, he reflects on the bar jobs and catering jobs he took on, where he was always striving to create more efficient systems and earn extra cash in the form of tips. Colleagues often became disgruntled at his intensity and energy; an ominous foreshadowing of what would be the prologue to his manic state. As you turn the pages and read the experiences of the author you begin to understand how his illness crept up; a slow burn over time. Individuals around him were unaware as he himself acknowledges, ‘everyone around me thought I had high energy and was super-productive…Little did I, or anyone else for that matter, know I was headed down a dark path, which would take a year to recover from.’
The path does get dark. As a reader you are aware of how the writer’s actions and his interactions are becoming increasingly intense and socially unacceptable. I admired how honest the writer was about how his actions worked to alienate people and ostracise himself. His trip to Africa saw the onset of a manic episode, where the writer would frantically record his plans and thoughts in his journal: ‘changing the world became my main objective.’ Once he returned home things began to intensify again. A particularly uncomfortable moment is when he befriends a teenager in a small town in America after deciding to travel there to pick up a $2000 stereo which he had ordered: a symptom of his mania being ‘fiscal irresponsibility.’ Meeting the family who ran the shipping business he befriends the young boy and remembers how he asked him to keep in touch as he wanted to ‘teach him more about the world.’ What stems from wholly good intentions, illustrates again to the reader the lack of awareness around societal propriety but also how it can warp and consume the individual to be oblivious to the feelings and responses of other people.
His writing about his family was incredibly poignant. In particular, the reflections on how his illness impacted his relationship with his father was very touching and sincere. Once Jason is finally committed to hospital and had begun to realise the seriousness of his condition his father managed to arrange for him to have an iPod which had as a playlist entitled, ‘Father and Son.’ This moment, according to the writer was a moment of realisation, ‘My goal was to mend my relationship with my dad and listen to his advice, which was to focus on the endgame of my hospital stay.’ As a reader it felt cathartic to experience this realisation with the author and to see the light at the end of the tunnel for him.
The processes that Jason must have gone through in order to reflect on such a difficult time must have again been incredibly tough and illustrates perfectly how even faced with such an all-encompassing mental illness it is possible to come out the other side and thrive. It is important to acknowledge that being bipolar is something that needs to be managed and navigated for an entire lifetime. The writer states, ‘my mental illness didn’t have to limit the quality of my life. I would just have to work a little harder than someone who is “normal.”’ The ending of the book where both author and psychologist Dr. Kerry Bernes collaboratively create ‘The Octagon of Life’, a philosophy born of wanting to challenge the depression and provide an ‘holistic approach to recovery’, made practical sense and also made for both a powerful and hopeful ending to a story that was brutally honest and necessary. I wish Jason Wegner every success.
The book begins with the author’s first encounter with the education system where he was treated pretty outrageously by individuals that should have been offering support and guidance. Moving away the education sector, he reflects on the bar jobs and catering jobs he took on, where he was always striving to create more efficient systems and earn extra cash in the form of tips. Colleagues often became disgruntled at his intensity and energy; an ominous foreshadowing of what would be the prologue to his manic state. As you turn the pages and read the experiences of the author you begin to understand how his illness crept up; a slow burn over time. Individuals around him were unaware as he himself acknowledges, ‘everyone around me thought I had high energy and was super-productive…Little did I, or anyone else for that matter, know I was headed down a dark path, which would take a year to recover from.’
The path does get dark. As a reader you are aware of how the writer’s actions and his interactions are becoming increasingly intense and socially unacceptable. I admired how honest the writer was about how his actions worked to alienate people and ostracise himself. His trip to Africa saw the onset of a manic episode, where the writer would frantically record his plans and thoughts in his journal: ‘changing the world became my main objective.’ Once he returned home things began to intensify again. A particularly uncomfortable moment is when he befriends a teenager in a small town in America after deciding to travel there to pick up a $2000 stereo which he had ordered: a symptom of his mania being ‘fiscal irresponsibility.’ Meeting the family who ran the shipping business he befriends the young boy and remembers how he asked him to keep in touch as he wanted to ‘teach him more about the world.’ What stems from wholly good intentions, illustrates again to the reader the lack of awareness around societal propriety but also how it can warp and consume the individual to be oblivious to the feelings and responses of other people.
His writing about his family was incredibly poignant. In particular, the reflections on how his illness impacted his relationship with his father was very touching and sincere. Once Jason is finally committed to hospital and had begun to realise the seriousness of his condition his father managed to arrange for him to have an iPod which had as a playlist entitled, ‘Father and Son.’ This moment, according to the writer was a moment of realisation, ‘My goal was to mend my relationship with my dad and listen to his advice, which was to focus on the endgame of my hospital stay.’ As a reader it felt cathartic to experience this realisation with the author and to see the light at the end of the tunnel for him.
The processes that Jason must have gone through in order to reflect on such a difficult time must have again been incredibly tough and illustrates perfectly how even faced with such an all-encompassing mental illness it is possible to come out the other side and thrive. It is important to acknowledge that being bipolar is something that needs to be managed and navigated for an entire lifetime. The writer states, ‘my mental illness didn’t have to limit the quality of my life. I would just have to work a little harder than someone who is “normal.”’ The ending of the book where both author and psychologist Dr. Kerry Bernes collaboratively create ‘The Octagon of Life’, a philosophy born of wanting to challenge the depression and provide an ‘holistic approach to recovery’, made practical sense and also made for both a powerful and hopeful ending to a story that was brutally honest and necessary. I wish Jason Wegner every success.
December 26, 2021
Full disclosure, I played small part of Jason's journey. That said, this is an inspirational book for anyone working through mental health challenges. The detailed spiral into mania along with the experience in treatment and beyond will help those that need it. Thank you Jason!
October 24, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Manic man is Jason Wegner’s personal account of his experience living with a severe mental illness: Bipolar I Disorder. The story begins with an insight into Jason’s “normal” life and we then see Jason’s descent into an acute manic Bipolar episode, with psychotic experience and then his dip into depression. Whilst this book is at times heartbreaking it is also a story about hope and how one can become “well” again, even when diagnosed with a severe mental health condition. We learn about Jason’s experiences as an inpatient and his treatment with his Psychologist Dr. Kerry Bernes - who developed “The Octagon of Life”which are the eight areas of life that he gets Jason to focus on to aid his recovery. What I really loved about this book: - Jasons vulnerability and honesty - Breaking down mental health stigma - Jasons humour - The emotional rollercoaster - Instils hope Things I liked less about this book: - Nothing. Thank you Jason for opening your mind and allowing us to share your journey. Congratulations on the release! Available now! Go read it!
Manic man is Jason Wegner’s personal account of his experience living with a severe mental illness: Bipolar I Disorder. The story begins with an insight into Jason’s “normal” life and we then see Jason’s descent into an acute manic Bipolar episode, with psychotic experience and then his dip into depression. Whilst this book is at times heartbreaking it is also a story about hope and how one can become “well” again, even when diagnosed with a severe mental health condition. We learn about Jason’s experiences as an inpatient and his treatment with his Psychologist Dr. Kerry Bernes - who developed “The Octagon of Life”which are the eight areas of life that he gets Jason to focus on to aid his recovery. What I really loved about this book: - Jasons vulnerability and honesty - Breaking down mental health stigma - Jasons humour - The emotional rollercoaster - Instils hope Things I liked less about this book: - Nothing. Thank you Jason for opening your mind and allowing us to share your journey. Congratulations on the release! Available now! Go read it!
October 24, 2022
Amazing! One of my favourite reads. It’s a vulnerable recount of the author’s experiences with bipolar I. Incredible to see his journey to recovery and the success that follows. Highly recommend to everyone, as it’s an amazing read to educate yourself on mental illness, as well as learn to support others who have bipolar disorder. 10/10!
March 28, 2024
Incredible book! I was on that Tanzania trip with Jason, so some of this I saw firsthand. Its incredible to see how much he has grown today! Loved this book.
December 18, 2021
I met Jason while he was student teaching and I was the guest teacher requested to cover his class. I collect author signed books. So, naturally I bought his book. In fact I bought three books one for each of my friends who are counsellors.
Jason’s story shows the immense danger of taking LSD. He enters into a full blown manic state from which he does not emerge without medical intervention. Jason devotes much of his book to explaining what his behaviour was like during this state: excessive, none stop talking, random thoughts, grandiose ideas, overactivity, insomnia, incessant writing, etc. He moves into talking about his treatment. I was looking for a bit more here in terms of treatment. But, maybe there was some confidentiality involved here.
A difficult story to read in places because of the rawness of the emotion that Jason includes. There is a pain that clearly comes through but there is also a great love for his parents and his friends.
If you don’t know Jason or have never met him, he is flourishing in his last round of student teaching and will graduate soon.
Jason’s story shows the immense danger of taking LSD. He enters into a full blown manic state from which he does not emerge without medical intervention. Jason devotes much of his book to explaining what his behaviour was like during this state: excessive, none stop talking, random thoughts, grandiose ideas, overactivity, insomnia, incessant writing, etc. He moves into talking about his treatment. I was looking for a bit more here in terms of treatment. But, maybe there was some confidentiality involved here.
A difficult story to read in places because of the rawness of the emotion that Jason includes. There is a pain that clearly comes through but there is also a great love for his parents and his friends.
If you don’t know Jason or have never met him, he is flourishing in his last round of student teaching and will graduate soon.
December 2, 2021
This book was a tough one for me.
I suffer with mental health myself so at times I had to put the book down as too much resonated in me. Sometimes this isn’t good to hear or read as it sets you back.
The book is well written and gives a deep personal insight into someone suffering from depression and bipolar diagnosis. The book shows that with specialist help and guidance there is a way of living with severe depression and feeling better about oneself.
I suffer with mental health myself so at times I had to put the book down as too much resonated in me. Sometimes this isn’t good to hear or read as it sets you back.
The book is well written and gives a deep personal insight into someone suffering from depression and bipolar diagnosis. The book shows that with specialist help and guidance there is a way of living with severe depression and feeling better about oneself.
June 30, 2024
The reader is carried along the life of Jason, who has bipolar disorder. We go through the manic episodes, his relationships, and his perception of the world.
Jason is my work colleague in a southern Alberta high school , so the perception of the geographical reality he is writing resonates very accurately with me. Thank you for sharing some authentic and true experiences as a person with bipolar disorder.
Jason is my work colleague in a southern Alberta high school , so the perception of the geographical reality he is writing resonates very accurately with me. Thank you for sharing some authentic and true experiences as a person with bipolar disorder.
July 28, 2024
Jason’s candid account of his battle with mental illness gives tremendous insight into the mind of a manic person. His account of that period does not shy from the messy truths of his thoughts and actions and how they affected those around him. The bravery needed to tell this story is commendable. Whether you suffer with a mental illness, love someone who does or are looking to understand bipolar I , this book is well worth the read.
January 17, 2024
This book is a powerful testament to the challenges of living with Bipolar I disorder. The author's courage, vulnerability, and skillful storytelling make this not just a book about mental illness but a compelling narrative that fosters empathy, understanding, and awareness.
December 31, 2024
Amazing story and very inspiring!
January 1, 2025
I loved this book. It was a book I couldn't put down as I read. Jason's mania brought me back to my own mania when I was first hospitalized. This book gives a good insight to what the manic person is going through in the height of the mania.
I am glad that Jason got the help he needed, and I believe this book will continue to inform people what living with Bipolar is like. I also think it encourages those with Bipolar that through working through your diagnosis you can still reach your goals.
I am glad that Jason got the help he needed, and I believe this book will continue to inform people what living with Bipolar is like. I also think it encourages those with Bipolar that through working through your diagnosis you can still reach your goals.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews