Manic

A Memoir

By: Terri Cheney

Narrated by: Coleen Marlo

On the outside, Terri Cheney was a highly successful, attractive Beverly Hills entertainment lawyer. But behind her seemingly flawless facade lay a dangerous secret - for the better part of her life, Cheney had been battling debilitating bipolar disorder and concealing a pharmacy's worth of prescriptions meant to stabilize her moods and make her "normal".

In bursts of prose that mirror the devastating highs and extreme lows of her illness, Cheney describes her roller-coaster life with shocking honesty - from glamorous parties to a night in jail; from flying 14 kites off the edge of a cliff in a thunderstorm to crying beneath her office desk; from electroshock therapy to a suicide attempt fueled by tequila and prescription painkillers. With Manic, Cheney gives voice to the unarticulated madness she endured.

The clinical terms used to describe her illness were so inadequate that she chose to focus instead on her own experience, in her words, "on what bipolar disorder felt like inside my own body." Here, the events unfold episodically, from mood to mood, the way she lived and remembers life. In this way, the listener is able to viscerally experience the incredible speeding highs of mania and the crushing blows of depression, just as Cheney did.

©2009 Terri Cheney (P)2018 Tantor

grateful

I have struggled with manic depressive disorder for my whole life. I appreciate the authors honesty and humility. It makes me feel more understood and accepting of myself.

Amazing Writer

I’m bipolar and I approve this book!

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related to author

it proves that I'm not alone in this trapped state. it was very reassuring

Amazing insight to manic depression

I enjoyed learning about manic depression and it’s many different faces. I understand the difference between regular bipolar and manic depressive bipolar more than I have in the past. So happy she was willing to tell her unfiltered stories.

Exactly What I Needed

I work in MH and always wonder what the patients are feeling and why SI is so profoundly the only answer for them. Thank you for sharing your life.