Modern Madness: An Owner's Manual

"With suicide rates exploding and the rates of mental health diagnoses increasing, there has never been a greater need to grapple with the complexities of the troubled mind. Terri Cheney knows this first hand. In her bestselling memoir, Manic, Cheney offered a gripping, no-holds-barred account of her bipolar disorder that nearly killed her. Now, in Modern Madness, she brings her narrative gifts to a book that is rich with practical insight. Structured like an owner's manual (e.g., Instructions for Use, Troubleshooting, Maintenance, Warranties), Cheney portrays the experience of mental illness from the inside out, drawing on her own struggle and recovery to illuminate a world that often seems forbidding or frightening. Using narrative as a springboard, Cheney explores broader issues common to all diagnoses, like stigma, coping skills, relationship dilemmas, and the vicissitudes of treatment. With a clear focus on the need for acceptance, both personal and public, Modern Madness is riveting, heartbreaking,and ultimately, hopeful. Not just for readers with a diagnosis, it will be invaluable for anyone looking to understand mental illness"--
The best-selling author of Manic: A Memoir challenges mainstream stigmas to call for better education and acceptance while counseling readers on practical steps for managing the symptoms of mental illness in today’s misinformed world. 30,000 first printing.
Terri Cheney ripped the covers off her secret battle with bipolar disorder in her New York Times bestselling memoir, Manic. Now, in this "stigma-buster" and "must-read", she blends a gripping narrative with practical advice (Elyn Saks).Cheney flips mental illness inside out, exposing the visceral story of the struggles, stigma, relationship dilemmas, treatments, and recovery techniques she and others have encountered. Sometimes humorous, sometimes harrowing, Modern Madness is the ultimate owner's manual on mental illness, breaking this complex subject down into readily understandable concepts like Instructions for Use, Troubleshooting, Maintenance, and Warranties.Whether you have a diagnosis, love or work with someone who does, or are just trying to understand this emerging phenomenon of our times, Modern Madness is a courageous clarion call for acceptance, both personal and public. With her candid and riveting writing, Cheney delivers more than heartbreak; she promises hope.