The Pits and the Pendulum: A Life with Bipolar Disorder - Softcover

Brian's memoir is in large part an effort to recoup some of his losses by making sense of them and contributing something to the rest of us...He has succeeded in what he set out to do. He has shown us that he is a credible witness and he has articulated some important realities about mental health...HE exhibits an awesome combination of honesty, compassion and determination to continue living in spite of it all. -- Metapsychology

Spending a week doing nothing but exploring the possibilities of Lego, thereby risking yet another job; impulsively sinking all his savings into wildly impractical self-employment ventures; sleepless nights, gripped by the need to write - these are just some manifestations of the often damaging periods of manic, uninhibited energy Brian Adams has experienced since his mid-twenties. But as a sufferer of bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression), he has been hospitalized several times with debilitating depression and undergone electric shock treatment, numerous drug therapies and even gone so far as to attempt to take his own life. This engaging, humorous, sometimes dark and sometimes startling account gives rich insight into how it feels to live with bipolar disorder. It is illuminating, and entertaining, reading for people with mental health problems, their families and professional carers.