'Psychosis' literally means 'out of touch with reality'. The main psychotic symptoms, delusions and hallucinations, can occur in many conditions, but especially in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
In The Beginner's Guide to Sanity, Erica Crompton, a journalist with a history of paranoid schizophrenia, and Professor Stephen Lawrie, an academic psychiatrist, share what they know about psychosis drown from over 60 years' combined experience. Whether you've just been diagnosed and are looking for relatable stories that will help you to feel less alone, or are further into the course of your illness and wish to explore causes, diagnostics or why this might have happened to you, they discuss what they know about this complex condition and what we can all do about it.
The book looks at what psychosis actually is and Erica draws on her experience of a first episode of the illness, before it turned into a full-blown schizophrenia diagnosis. She also details the many weird and wonderful techniques she's tried to stay well and Stephen gives them a 'sanity check'.
Stephen looks at different diagnoses, causes, symptoms and illnesses that he's seen in his clinic during his career as a psychiatrist.
This is not a book that demonises pharmacological solutions - both Erica and Stephen acknowledge a place for them - but looks at the broader picture so that the individual can consider what might be right for them.