These days, who has time to read a book that has more than a thousand pages? Even with a schedule without too many constraints, it takes a certain courage to undertake such reading! But there you have it, certain life experiences cannot be condensed into a more standard volume. This is the case with psychosis, seems to tell us the author of Fought Disorder, A True Story of Utter Bollocks, Oli Delgaram-Nejad, who has just completed a PhD at the University of Manchester which focuses on the impact of language on thought and communication. The author of this review, although having been through hypomania but not psychosis, fully understands that mental illness gives those affected a roller coaster ride that could fill entire encyclopedias.

But back to the book itself… The story that the author tells us is in a way a dive into the abyss of a mind that is carried away by this fascinating but terrifying mental disorder that is psychosis. The central strength of the story is the author’s honesty, an uncompromising honesty, without which one could not truly access the chaos of his inner world. And if honesty is the cornerstone of the story, the unusual side of the creative process is beyond comprehension. Indeed, to ensure that the reader has a 360-degree perspective, the author retraced his journey by rereading the clinical notes of the caregivers who accompanied him while he was hospitalized on a psychiatric wing. Finally, we come full circle with a happy ending; after having encountered darkness on more than one occasion, we emerge with hope by reading that Oli has returned to a normal life, enough to give courage to those who are still fighting.

By Charles-Albert Morin