Electroboy

Andy Behrman is the author of "Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania," a chronicle of his battle with bipolar disorder and his experience with electroconvulsive therapy. His story is being made into a major motion picture with Tobey Maguire.

Is there such a thing as recovery from mental illness? Andy Behrman, author of Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania, discusses the question of mental health recovery from his own perspective, based on his years of living with bipolar disorder. From disastrous mania and depression to relative stability, Behrman reflects on the years of effort and his...

In this article, which predates the publication of Andy Behrman's best-selling book Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania by a couple of years, Andy tells about the reasons why he underwent a year-long course of electroconvulsive therapy - ECT - also known as shock treatments, for manic depression - and what was both good and bad in the results.

Andy Behrman's autobiographical book is definitely a winner. Electroboy is the fast-paced, compelling story of the author's life with bipolar disorder - untreated, wrongly treated, treatment-resistant and - finally - responding to treatment.

Before he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Andy Behrman knew something was wrong but no one else recognized it. With the diagnosis of manic depression came instant stigma - he even mentally stigmatized himself.

In this excerpt from Andy Behrman's best-selling autobiography 'Electroboy,' the author describes bipolar mania in vivid, understandable terms.

In this article, Andy Behrman writes about the difficulties people with bipolar disorder go through in trying to find the right mix, or "cocktail," of medications to control the illness.

Andy Behrman, author of Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania, had lived in a mostly-manic state for years. After treatment began to work, he had to cope with living without the mania of his bipolar disorder. He tells the steps he took to combat his concerns and fears, and about the results of his efforts.

Before I was diagnosed with manic depression in 1993, I had already seen eight different psychiatrists, but none of them could figure out what was going on inside my head. And, the problem with getting the wrong diagnoses was getting the wrong treatments.

It has been ten years since a doctor finally gave me the right diagnosis - not depression, but manic depression or bipolar disorder. Through the hunt for medications, electroshock therapy, side effects and fear, I have survived and come out stronger on the other side. Now I want my experience to help others cope with bipolar illness.

One minute I am crossing the street. The next I am flat on my back asking strangers to pray that I will live. I have spent my entire adult life dealing with a mental illness but have never before been physically injured. The experiences forces me to think about disability in a completely different way. Page 1.

Guest contributor Carrie Crockett gives us an exclusive interview with Electroboy author Andy Behrman.

"Over the years I have tried more than forty-five different medications to control my manic depression and side effects, and that during some periods I took more than twelve medications at once - sometimes totaling more than thirty pills and capsules throughout the day," says Andy Behrman, author of Electroboy. He learned more about this as a spokesman for a pharmaceutical company.

In the wake of the shooting of a man with bipolar disorder at Miami International Airport on December 7, 2005, CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke with Andy Behrman and Dr. Drew Pinsky on the subject of manic depression. Here is a transcript of the interview, which covered the topics of mania, hypomania, hallucinations, depression, suicide, medication and more. An excellent resource for beginners learning about bipolar disorder or those who need others to learn about the illness.

Andy Behrman, author of the bipolar blockbuster "Electroboy," interviews Terri Cheney, author of "Manic," which may become the next bipolar bestseller. "Manic" is getting rave reviews from both professional reviewers and the general public. In this section: eating problems, electroconvulsive therapy, and telling others she has bipolar disorder.

Author Karen Renken describes her bipolar disorder as being like drowning and her discovery of Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania by Andy Behrman like being thrown a lifeline. Even after over 25 years of treatment, one person made a profound difference in Karen's search for better mental health.

About Bipolar Disorder published Andy Behrman's guest article, "Electroboy," in 2001. Now he has expanded his scope into a biography that has the critics applauding. Here's a preview.

Andy Behrman, the author of “Electroboy”, has made it his mission to share his own experiences with bipolar disorder, to erase the stigma of mental illness, and to give people hope about recovery. To that end, he has developed a website packed full of resources.

Today I chat with the author of Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania, Andy Berhman's account of sex, drugs, art forgeries, manic depression and electroshock treatment.