A Pillar of Impotence
[paperback]

I bought this book because I wanted to know more about what it is like to live with mental illness. I wanted to read a personal account rather than a text book. I picked the right book. Beautifully written, it is brutally honest, occassionally funny, often harrowing but above all it gives a facinating insight into the mind of mental illness. It has totally changed the way I view mental health. The author takes us through a very personal 10 year battle with an unpredictable and misunderstood illness and a support system that was at best farcical and at worst terrifying. Like a really good novel each chapter ends on a cliff hanger ' what happens next?' Thankfully there is a 'happy ending'. I could not put this book down and now want to read the sequal. ( unfortunately as yet there isn't one...hint hint.)