After eight hospitalizations for bipolar depression since his first admission in 1998, and a total of more than 150 electroconvulsive therapy treatments, Shae Therrien knows a thing or two about maintaining good mental health. It’s not exactly a walk in the park – or in Shae’s case, a naked walk in his neighbourhood. Through diary entries and reflections
from two of the most trying periods of his life, Shae shares anecdotes and details of his illness – including tips
that he hopes will help others understand and care for those who have mental ‘dis-ease’.
“Sometimes I think the book chose me to write it as opposed to my intentions to ever write a book,” he says. “When I started to journal, I was doing it to survive the moment. As the moments kept stacking up, I had more than a couple paragraphs written on paper. After my second back surgery, I decided I could use some of the time I had, while recovering, to tell my story about my bipolar adventures. I'm glad I had some help to type the book. The whole purpose of this book is to help other people understand some trials of mental health. It's something you can't pick up and touch, so I hope this book can be a tangible resource leading to some success.”
