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Recovered Not Cured: A Journey through Schizophrenia
Author(s): Richard McLean (Author)
- Publisher: Allen & Unwin
- Publication Date: 5 Jan. 2003
- Language: English
- Print length: 192 pages
- ISBN-10: 1865089745
- ISBN-13: 9781865089744
Book Description
Edinburgh, 1994 I am crouching in an alleyway. They can t see me here, so for the moment I am safe. There must be hundreds of loudspeakers projecting secret messages at me, and umpteen video cameras tracking every move I make . . . They will tie me up, soak my feet in water and have goats lick my feet down to the bone . . . Melbourne, 2003 ‘Nowadays I say that I am recovered, not cured. I have a job, I have my band, I have my friends and my family. I pay my taxes and do the dishes; I’m independent. A couple of pills a day keep me slightly lethargic yet sane. I can live with that’ Mental illness is common, and often devastating. In this day and age it is a treatable condition, yet many are left untreated, misunderstood. Richard McLean is one of the lucky ones. His words and pictures give us a unique and poignant insight into a hidden, internal world. This is a powerful, quirky and important book. Powerful because it goes straight to the heart of battling a psychotic illness. Quirky because of the author s abundant creativity and the delight of his illustrations. Important because it outstrips anything else I have read about schizophrenia for its insight into the nature of psychotic thinking and behaviour. McLean writes with a bold simplicity and deftly avoids melodrama and bathos. Anne Deveson
Editorial Reviews
Review
“This is a powerful, quirky and important book. . . . It outstrips anything else I have read about schizophrenia for its insight into the nature of psychotic thinking and behaviour.” –Anne Deveson, author, Tell Me I’m Here
About the Author
Richard McLean suffers from schizophrenia. He is a graphic artist and illustrator for The Age.
