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.
Untitled
Exquisitely written but very hard to read, Kate Richards' memoir of her acute mental illness is a must for anyone interested in mental illness, psychosis or Australian healthcare. From the highest highs to the deepest lows, Richards holds nothing back from the reader, and this intimate approach will have you simultaneously sympathetic and exasperated at her actions. - Shannon (QBD)
Guest, 19/03/2019
