A Can of Madness: Memoir on bipolar disorder and manic depression [Paperback]

Jason Pegler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2002

Product Description “A Can of Madness does what it says in the… er can. A brilliant memoir of mania; all the pain, humour, fear and despair is chronicled here in prose of clarity and distinction. Unforgettable and important" - Stephen Fry “This book will help people to understand one of the greatest issues of our time, how to treat those who are mentally disturbed, as human beings” – Rt. Hon. Tony Benn MP “The author has done all of us a service by writing about how it feels, not just to be manic depressive, but to have a life of fraught and edgy encounters with just about everyone” – The Times Literary Supplement Description A vivid, honest and sometimes disturbing memoir about the experience of having a diagnosis of manic-depression. It was in two stages (not using a diary that i collected as it says in the Mind Press Release 2002. After i read Prozac Nation in 1998 i wrote two pages. Knowing i had something amazing to say i was paralysed for two years with the thought of writing it. Then when i was given my own flat in Vauxhall after my last hospitalisation in St Thomas's Hospital in 2000 i wrote every day for about 12-16 weeks and got it all of my chast. From that moment i felt that i had written the book that had saved the Ecstasy generation although it turned into a mental health crusade to give other people a voice. Like other books in this genre, the author is often painfully honest about his experiences. He recounts a dizzying, dark and sometimes euphoric journey through a world of elation, despair, binge drinking, drugs, raves and psychiatric wards. As well as attempting to educate the reader, the book also provides optimism and hope, showing that it is finally possible to learn to live with, and accept, having a mental health problem. Writing A Can of Madness saved my life and alot of other people have told me that it has helped their lives. About the Author Jason Pegler is 33 and lives in London. Jason was diagnosed with manic depression in 1993 and wrote 'A Can of Madness' to stop other seventeen year olds going through what he went through. Graduating from Manchester University in 1998 he founded Chipmunkapublishing the mental health publisher which aims to help mental health sufferers. Pegler is a mental health activist, journalist, rapper, public speaker and consultant on anything that promotes a positive image on mental health. In 2005 Pegler won the New Statesman's Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He is a key figure in the mental health movement. Book Extract As I was being driven off in the back of a police van in a space suit, I thought I was Donovan Bad Boy Smith being driven to a rave. I could hear music in my head and flashed back to another night at The Brunel Rooms in Swindon. The Brunel Rooms, a hard-core Mecca for druggies from Gloucester and surrounding areas in the early to mid nineties. Donovan was so hardcore when I saw him there that he'd refused to turn off his set at 3. He'd carried on until 3.30 when someone finally turned off the electricity mid flow. Talking of flows (as opposed to stable mindsets), just how the fuck do you live with a mental illness? Don't ask me, I'm still trying to find out now. After all, it's not something you plan, let alone something you'd ever expect to have. As we all say: it won't happen to me. But it can. And in this case, it did. And if Hercules and Ajax couldn't hack it, how the hell could I? Unsurprisingly, I didn't - and that's why I wallowed in self-pity for so long. So, do you want to know what it's like to be crazy, mad, loopy? Well I'm about to tell you. I'm also going to tell you how it feels to be suicidal for months on end - the fate of the manic. One thing, however, is for sure: The sooner you kill mania the better. For you're a danger to yourself and other people when you don't know what you're doing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Chipmunkapublishing (April 13, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0954221826
• ISBN-13: 978-0954221829
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,110,301 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A revolutionary way of understanding Manic depression, January 1, 2005

By 

Josephine Barry (Great Britain) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Can of Madness: Memoir on bipolar disorder and manic depression (Paperback)

Chipmunka Publishing are now offering a new edition of this very
special book, which is a classic.
Jason Pegler shares his journey through the high and low mood swings associated with his condition known as Manic depression, Bi-polar disorder.

I cannot recommend this book too highly to anyone who may have friends or family members struggling with this terrible affliction.

Having known Jason for just over a year now, I was completely shocked when I met him , as I would never have known how ill he had been had I not read his book first.

He comes across as being very angry,( rightly so ).

Having spoken with him many times about the inspiration behind his writing, I know the anger is part of his episodes, and writing about it is his way of dealing with it and moving forward.

He is so calm, gentle and level-headed, and has reached out his hand to me and rescued me from the struggles with my own illness by turning me into a published author overnight , and teaching me that illness can be an artistic, creative thing,

His calm gentle positivity and willingness to treat me as a human being with value has helped me to recover from my own episodes of severe paralysis and anxiety.

This book should be read by mental health service users, carers and medical professionals alike.

Jason is inspirational to all of us by making us see that mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, and it is not only ok, but necessary for one's own recovery to speak out openly about mental illness.

Sufferers need never feel alone with their illness again after reading this ground-breaking text

I am in awe of the courage and honesty coming from this brave man's story, Keep spreading the word , Jason, We all need you.

Fiona Whelpton BA Author of "The Cycle Path"

Chipmunka publishing consultant, journalist, poet and musician.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars happy end, July 11, 2005

By 

brian may "rog" (Lyon, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Can of Madness: Memoir on bipolar disorder and manic depression (Paperback)

The story of a young man determined to overcome his manic depression... This autobiography is written with self- effacement. It's very easy for the reader to have empathy for him, and to imagine his pain and his long fight. To recommend to all disorder sufferers, but also their family, friends, and the general public who wants to learn more about this illness. The happy end gives you the motivation to continue the struggle against the disease.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant !!, July 7, 2005

By 

brian may "rog" (lyon, france) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Can of Madness: Memoir on bipolar disorder and manic depression (Paperback)

This autobiography by Jason Pegler is written in perfect words: a nice balance of humor and serious talking. A required reading for everybody who concerned, directly or not by manic depression.
In my top 5 books!