Sick, struggling, trying to find a way through the maze...? It's easy to look outwards for a recipe on how to live. And that's something we all fall victim to.For David, he was his own worst enemy and that path he decided to pave took him to insane heights and soul-crushing lows. In this autobiography, he decides to share it all and trace his missteps in order to find his own truth. In his words, 'this isn't the kind of thing you read during a casual shit in the toilet.' Innocence, drugs, mania, depression, and philosophies relevant to him at the time; he opens the book to himself and hopes the reflection staring back at him is also one that resonates with the reader.
We're all one and the same, whether you decide to button up your person suit, or walk out the door chest bare, sharing is something we can all benefit from.
Mental Illness...an insiders viewThis is a story about mental illness, specifically, my experience with it. Whilst writing this book, I couldn't deny this aching feeling that we deal with mental illness in the wrong way. As a product of the psychiatric system, I am a testament to that. It hasn't done wonders for me and I don't think I'm alone in saying that. I honestly wish I was Will Hunting, and Robin Williams was my counsellor. I wish I had built an amazing relationship with a counsellor that reached a point where I broke down crying and he tells me that it's not my fault. However, even that didn't give Will, the young savant, a whole new perspective on life allowing him to be successful and happy. It finishes with him driving into the distance to see if 'his girl' still loves him. So yeah, nothing's perfect and we all know that. But who am I to kick dirt up at the whole psychiatric system? I'm just another person, and that's the point.
I've seen more professionals than I can count, and a few were good ones, but at the end of the day, they are just people. They have their own shitty problems and they try their best. What more could you want? Well, an alternative to start with. And no, I'm not talking about alternative medicine and aligning your overactive sacral chakra. Is there no viable alternative to someone losing their shit and locking them up in a psych ward? Clearly, something is wrong, but chalking it up to a chemical imbalance just doesn't cut it with me. Furthermore, treating mental illness with medication we really don't understand only further highlights how we are just shooting in the dark.
I can hear the critics' replies now, stating that the medication and treatment are based on science and the scientific process. Well sure, and so is particle physics. Science is great, don't get me wrong. But surely at some point, there's a limit to how much it can impact the human experience. While my day-to-day life is possible largely due to the discoveries science has made, what use is it in regards to things that are essentially social issues? Philosophy is so out of tune with science; philosophy can make or break society and so can a nuclear bomb, but let's not go there.
In writing this book I hope to expose and share my personal goal to someday reach a point where I can climb the identity mountain and just sit there at the top and enjoy the view, rather than falling and having to rebuild myself like I've done so many times before.
