Shatterdays: Bipolar Lives

Shatterdays: Bipolar Lives is a riveting account of two young girls in their formative years of life, one grappling with deep depression, paranoia & hopelessness and the other selflessly trying to help her. This story is about love, relationships, and human endurance.

Susan suffered from bipolar type I with psychotic symptoms. During a manic episode, Susan became psychotic, difficult to control and dangerous to herself and others. Susan spent her teenage years taking an array of psychotropic medications and confined to psychiatric wards and other restrictive environments, achieving minimal success. Her mother Patricia's greatest fear was that her daughter would remain institutionalized for much of her life. Following Patricia's death, Melanie's dedication to Susan is intermingled with mixed emotions and self-doubts and fosters a sense of intimacy which creates in the reader a desire to want to reach out and help her.

Susan’s story needs telling because it personifies the experiences of many ordinary families whose loved one suffers from a crippling mental disorder. Family intervention at the onset of symptoms, years of advocacy and a lifelong commitment to the local community mental health center, defined Susan’s success.