Books published by Chipmunkapublishing

Description Somehow Aiden's world doesn't make sense any more. His neighbour keeps playing Duran Duran so he can't think. Fellow students comment on his frenzied dancing style at the Mega disco and he wonders whether all his life he has been too serious. Worst of all he can't stop thinking a petite freckled brunette called Janice. Perhap's if he could make it with her then, then... everything would be solved.Take the white knuckle ride of Aiden through the highs and lows of student life at Lanchester University through the frustration and devastation of mental illness, through therapy into a whole new unexpected world. This semi -autobiographical account of student life and its aftermath will challenge you about what is and what is not possible. Believe the unbelievable.

Description When Julie becomes so mentally ill she can no longer cope in society, she is put in a psychiatric hospital with the support of her friends. Once inside the hospital, Julie faces some terrible challenges; her main issue is trusting those in authority. She had uncontrollable reactions, such as self harming and suicidal behaviours when something is out of control, but with the help of her friends and a doctor she gradually starts to get these under more control. But the world of a Borderline is never an easy ride, and Julie portrays the tribulations that this diagnosis may cause. Julie's journey portrays how difficult a patient's role in the hospital is when the staff are met with a talented, yet troubled young individual. How can they cope with Julie's issues without belittling her or making her feel worse? This book will work to sympathise with those who have had similar experiences in hospital and were unable to vent out their problems. This book will also thrive is teaching mental health staff what is perhaps going through a patient's mind. This book challenges staff to look at their approach and language in the way that they treat patients, particularly those with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Description Through the pages of this book Set Plasma Free strips off the clothes of conspiracy to reveal chapter and verse on how a UFO is constructed and on how today's technological high St can provide the plasma drive propulsion system along with all the flight control technology.At the end of this amusing read the reader is left in no doubt that there was a conspiracy of silence concerning agencies who may or may not have a crashed UFO. The naked UFO provides no nonsense answers to questions that have been fudged for decades.About the AuthorSet Plasma Free knows what it is like to be bottom of the class, in every subject, and to leave school at the age of 16, to wash dishes and make beds. All those years ago Dyslexia was not a known disability neither was Asperger's Syndrome. In Set Plasma Free's case his brain could see things that other people couldn't or did not want to see. However, Set Plasma Free has the ability to communicate with his voice which he believes is a gift from God for helping him to rise above all the ridicule that has been thrown his way over all these years. Thanks to Chipmunka Publishing for giving people like Richard an opportunity to write and publish his works.

Description Choose Life tells of a journey of personal growth and development, set against the realities of a stressful modern lifestyle. It shows the search for meaning and fulfilment in life, and takes a refreshingly honest and holistic approach to living the life that you want to live - one that is easily accessible, and very different from the usual 'ten easy steps to fulfilment' or promises of 'enlightenment in 30 days'. Over 260 pages.About the AuthorPaul Johnson was born in the north-east of England in 1970, and raised in South Yorkshire, where he lives with his wife and three children. He has spent the last fifteen years studying martial arts and their accompanying philosophies, and believes that we can all find a lasting sense of peace and fulfilment. Paul's interests include walking the dog, eating curry, and practical self defence, though preferably not all at the same time. Choose Life is his first book.

Description 'Some Souls live on forever' tackles the traumatic circumstances surrounding the death of a close friend. Jessica, a young teenage girl returns home from holiday to discover that her best friend Blake has been killed, having been knocked down by a car. The story examines the rollercoaster of emotions that Jessica feels. She initially is overcome by complete shock and denial. Once accepting what has happened, this moves to anger and grief, Jessica desperately craving for Blake to return. Along her journey of dealing with the sadness, readers are introduced to the inspirational strength of Jessica, who manages to find a new inner source of positivity. This happens when Jessica begins seeing her life in a new perspective, realising that there is hope after Blake has gone. She begins believing that although Blake has been taken away, his soul lives on through the memory that she holds of him in her heart. This means that every time she thinks of him and the influence he had on her life, it causes her to begin living her life more fully and completely. This is why the story is so named, 'Some souls live on forvever,' as Blake's soul lives on through the influence he has on Jessica's life from that point onwards.

Description Georgina Wakefield wrote this book immediately after completing her first book 'Schizophrenia A Mother's Story' which charts her youngest sons19 year battle with Paranoid Schizophrenia. The book consists of 61 [her age] "Glimpses Of Life". Like life sometimes tragic, sometimes funny Georgina feels that the short stories fit in with the pace of life today. We often complain that we don't have time to read but this book could be read on a train journey hence The Commuters Companion.About the AuthorGeorgina Wakefield was born in Chelmsford Essex, 1947, she has suffered from anxiety based manic depression for the best part of her adult life, she is also a carer to her youngest son Christian aged 36, Christian developed Schizophrenia at the age of 16.

Description Albert Camus wrote that the only real question a human being has to ask of themselves is; should I live, or should I die? Before this question is answered, we are unable to progress with life, to seize the grass and the smiles and the sunlight, because we are still pondering. 'Gardening in the Dark' follows the path of Alex, as she stumbles towards making this decision. Interspersed with her story we meet Ally, a young girl whose childhood is entirely affected by the impact of her Mother's Bipolar. Through Alex and Ally's stories, we come to realise that the cyclical nature of the condition affects not just a single person, but entire generations. Despite this, 'Gardening in the Dark' is ultimately a poignant and evocative novel about love, embracing life, and personal triumph over tragedyAbout the AuthorJennifer Syrkiewicz has been writing all her life, drawing from a mixture of personal experience and imagination to inform her fiction. Diagnosed with Bipolar Affective Disorder, Jennifer wrote her first novel, 'Gardening in the Dark', to raise awareness of the condition and express how Bipolar affects the lives of both the person diagnosed, and those around them. Since writing the novel, Jennifer has set up a support group for the condition in her area. Jennifer was born in 1976, in Yorkshire. Following a meandering trail across the UK to attend various universities, she is now happily settled in North Yorkshire with her husband Paul and two dogs. She runs a small Communications business and spends most of her time blogging, writing articles and producing fiction and poetry.

Description Written at the age of 17, "The Madhouse of Love" is the story of a 12-year-old who is kept in a psychiatric unit for 2¿ years in Scotland in the late 1960s due to a misunderstanding. During his stay in the hospital, he falls in love with a girl who is also a patient, but their relationship is put a stop to by the authorities, leading them both to contemplate suicide.Eventually, Tony manages to discharge himself by using a great deal of tact and persuasion but eventually ends up homeless in London at the age of 16.About the AuthorPeter G. Mackie was born in Perth, Scotland in 1957 and, as a teenager, spent 2¿ years in an Adolescent Unit, causing him to lapse into depression.In the 1970s and '80s, he spent several years living and working abroad, which helped him see a more positive side of life.However, in recent years, his depression has returned, along with panic attacks.He is currently attending Redhall Walled Garden, a project in Edinburgh run by the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH), where he is doing a computer course.

Description Sisyphusa is an allegory of depression and the mental health system as seen through the eyes of its main character and first person narrator, Odis Winston. Odis is abducted from a comfortable existence at university and taken to an institution called 'Sisyphusa'. He is told when he arrives that he is 'Weird' and that he cannot leave until he has been 'Normalised'. He has been fitted with an Earpiece which has a poisonous and malign voice, similar to his own, and which begins to torment his every waking moment. Encountering characters and situations loosely based on Homer's Odyssey and in a dystopian style influenced by Orwell and Kafka, we follow Odis's transformation from helpless captive to active rebel and leader. The book is imbued with dark humour and compassion for its characters and their struggles. It manages to be a satirical polemic of our own times while creating an entirely new world of "Aspirati", "Hysteria-Dominated Television (HDTV)", "I-Spy's", and "Climbing Pills." It explores Mental Health themes surrounding institutionalisation, dehumanisation, self-harm, stigma, suicide and media (mis)representation.About the AuthorMichael was born in London in 1986. He had a happy childhood, growing up in a loving home with his parents and older brother. He always liked school but was equally occupied with enjoying life with his friends and family and continuing his lifelong romance with Arsenal Football Club. After A-Levels, Michael travelled around India, Southeast Asia and Australasia for 6 months before attending the University of Sussex. He felt in his element being at university and living in Brighton. He was growing, working hard and making wonderful friendships.However, halfway through his second year of university, in February 2007, he had a very sudden and unexpected onset of what was later diagnosed as Anxiety and Clinical Depression and later still with a form of OCD. Within the space of a week he went from being a very confident and successful student to being unable to leave the house that he was living in with friends in Brighton. Michael had to move back home to hisparents' house in London where he has remained ever since.He has had various talking therapies and medications over the four years he has been unwell, some of which have been very helpful, others distinctly unhelpful. He began to read avidly after the first year of almost catatonic depression. He has also tried to learn Spanish and Portuguese and has taken up the piano. He wrote Sisyphusa over the course of around eighteen months initially inspired by a strange dream and by the anger he felt after attending a psychiatric day hospital for six months. Michael has felt a stark rupture in the way in which he has experienced life before and after his breakdown. He is no longer as housebound as he was in the first couple of years, thanks in large part to his Cocker Spaniel puppy Milo who demands constant walks and attention. He has fewer crises, and with the help of his family and caregivers he has learned more effective ways of managing his symptoms. Nevertheless, his situation remains very limited as hefeels unable to work or to resume his formal studies, nor does he feel able to be in contact with former friends from school and university or most of his wider family.But he's pleased to be able to share his work with a wider audience and to add his voice to the many thousands fighting against the stigma surrounding mental illness.

This is my second collection of poems, called ¿Particular¿.This is a far wider range of poems and unashamedly ¿Particular¿, covering many subjects including my periods of working life, unemployment and social exclusion. Also, poems about the changing political landscape in the U.K and the world. From the more tolerant social climate of the sixties, to the present time. Other topics covered, include humanity, global environment, celebrity culture, materialism.The book is called ¿Particular¿, because of my political and social leanings. As with my first book it reiterates my strongly held passion for social justice And democracy in the United Kingdom. The home of the ¿Mother of Parliaments¿ and the wider world. This book is dedicated to ¿Bubbles¿-Dad.

Description This book will give you good mental vision of some of the food that you should eat to keep you mentally fit, and mentally focus. As food is one of the most important areas of our life, I try to put into words a few variations of what can keep us mentally fit so that we can enjoy our daily living more.Some of us life is almost govern by medication, so we need something to substitute our livelihood, instead of alcohol why not make it food, good wholesome food that will keep you trim, and physically fit but most of all mentally fit.About the AuthorPamela Moncrieffe was born on the 10th of July 19 48. In the Caribbean Island of Jamaica, She came to Britain at quite an early age, after leaving school she had several job descriptions until she became serious about her future. She was trained as a nurse, but she did not work as a nurse for long because she suffered from manic depression, and find nursing too confining so she took to the office where she work as an account clerk for several years.Pamela is a very conscientious person she did not stick to nursing but she love people, so she went back to college as a mature student achieved a certificate in health and social care, she also managed to secure a certificate in community care. Pamela's world revolved around people, she held several post voluntarily in the field of social care which in knowing her she thoroughly enjoyed.Pamela wrote the book eat your self mentally fit, to exercise what she love doing most, and that is helping people. At her age she feels that her help will prove more effective this way.

Description This book aims to take the reader through what my experience of Schizo-Affective Disorder has been like. Therefore, the poems relating to the main issues that have affected me are not in set sections but rather they are scattered randomly. This represents how my life has been a bit like a roller coaster ride. The poems are in the order in which I wrote them-again to allow the reader to gain an insight into my own personal experience of mental health problems. Writing this book has been an incredibly empowering journey for me and I hope that this is evident to the reader.About the AuthorClaire Attwood is 30 years old and lives on the Isle of Wight with her fiance Neil and their pets. Claire has battled Schizo-Affective Disorder for the last 7 years and-for the most part, thinks she is winning the fight! Claire works for the NHS as a Support Time and Recovery Worker in an Early Intervention in Psychosis Team and is also studying for a degree in Psychology with the Open University. In her spare time, Claire enjoys writing poetry and self-help literature, and also looking after her pet snake- Barney. Claire hopes to continue writing to empower those affected by mental health problems.

Description Land of Ice is a book of poems, written over a ten year period. Some of the poems were written in hospital. Their themes range from existential questioning, the media, simple beauty and the effects of my illness on my life. All these poems were written with a great sense of enjoyment and love. I called the work Land of ice as it's a quote from one of the poems held within. I also called it Land of ice because of the coldness and lack of warmth this world has to offer, sometimes. But then I feel this work can be funny, dark, light and emotional. I tried to incorporate every bit of emotion and thought that | felt was worthy of poetics. I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thanks it's been emotional....About the AuthorMy name is A.Sole, I was born in Berlin on January seventh 1978. I have moved around constantly my whole life and have lived in as many as twenty different places. I have lived in Sheffield where I studied English at university, London, Chester, Shrewsbury to name but a few. I now live in Nottingham where I do the odd poetry gig; reading this stuff out. I love to paint and display my work in a cafe in Nottingham. I love the movies and have written a film called the naked ghost. I hope one day to write and direct my own film. I have suffered with hearing voices since the age of twenty one. I also see visions and have been attacked by invisible forces such as snakes and spiders I have felt them crawling all over my body with no real explanation from the doctor just that I am ill. The voices in my head range from friends, to famous people to God or the universe as I call him, to strangers. Most of the time the voices are quite chatty and conversational other times they are very insulting and very repetitive. I've been sectioned under the mental health act four times for my own safety. I have learned to live with the voices and live quite a rich and full life. This book of poems has taken me ten years to write, writing a poem every so often. There is a huge range of themes contained within this volume.

Description 'You'll never make a hairdresser' is an autobiography detailing the life of a young boy living on a deprived housing estate in Manchester and tracing his progression to the present day and the realisation of his dreams.The novel includes many humorous experiences; the loss of his virginity to a wheelchair bound client, mobile hairdressing within the housing estate representing the culture and lifestyle of all involved, down to the very poignant moments on the loss of a dearly loved sister to cancer at the age of just 37.The novel also explores the innermost thoughts and feeling of the author, not only his depression which resulted from the onset of epilepsy at the age of thirty but also on a deeply personal level when he realised that as a heterosexual husband and father he was living a lie.Following these revelations he embarks on a journey of discovery which finally leads him to the confident and fulfilled gay businessman he is today.

Description New Science of the Mind is an expression of personal emotions encountered on a journey navigated through fifteen years of living with mental illness. The book contains a selection of writings in the form of 'inner philosophy', fantasy and poems expressing concerns about a world affected by wars, climate change, famine, terrorism and suffering amongst the innocent. New Science of the Mind is Darragh Tobin's first book.About the AuthorBorn in 1972, Darragh Tobin grew up in Cork and Co Wexford before moving to Kildare where he now lives and writes. He has been a mental health service user since the age of 15 years and enjoys films, music, travel, entertainment, arts and sciences. Darragh Tobin describers the process of writing as both difficult and liberating and now wishes to share the fruits of his innermost thoughts and labour with others.

Description 'Sins of the fathers' is an autobiographical work compiled from years of notes, poems and collected anecdotes. It is written from the perspective of a middle-aged man who finally feels free write about his life after both his parents have died. It reviews being raised in the care of two severely bipolar parents and discusses the permanent effects of such a formative environment. The story is punctuated with humour and offers others a glimpse into the world of someone who endures his genetic legacy and indelible childhood programming throughout his entire adulthood. The book is hoped to provide affirmation to fellow sufferers and to invoke a clearer empathy about the disorder for those trying to understand and live successfully with a bi-polar/ manic depressive person. If seen as nothing more than a flickering light in a window, perhaps it will inspire more lights in more windows.About the AuthorFred Bailey is a Canadian writer born in Southern Ontario in 1952. A wanderer and adventurer he eventually settled in British Columbia. He now lives in the Gulf Islands, an archipelago near Vancouver Island, and pursues his passion for the sea and for writing. 'Sins Of The Fathers' is an autobiographical work about surviving a childhood manipulated by two severely bi-polar parents, and then coping as an adult with a life saddled with the after effects and questions of this crippling illness. Is it a product of nurture or nature? The answer is yes.Bailey began writing as a prescribed therapy for coping with the pain and confusion of being bi-polar. That challenge became a writing career. This book helps fulfill Bailey's ambition to help other people with similar challenges to realize that they are not alone. There are ways of living a productive and at times even a happy existence. He also feels a need to clarify to those who do not understand the disorder that it is a tangible illness. No amount of positive attitude alone can shed the weight of clinical depression. A huge inner strength is often required merely to survive the day and the moment. Humour is a prime tool in that endeavour and it shines through in all of his writing.

Description Wandering Explorers is a guide for families who are making the lengthy and agonizing journey through the course of a loved one's dementia. The title itself reminds us of the devastation that occurs in the brain - leading to wandering and confusion. And yet, there remains a curious human drive to explore and find purpose of life. Understanding this duality in dementia patients turns what is otherwise an apathetic family tragedy into a meaningful terminal event. This book is written in easy to understand terms and describes a multitude of aspects of brain disease including the many types of dementia, medical issues, drugs, behavioral management and the severe social consequences of this disease. This book is unique not only because of its concise nature but that it is essentially a compilation of all the common questions our practice has been asked over the years. It provides answers about what to expect in the various stages of dementia, how the diagnosis is made, and proper treatments relative to the stage of disease. Wandering Explorers does not provide any false hope. It is made clear that this is a fatal neurologic disease where end of life preparation needs to be dealt with head on. But Wandering Explorers takes a family to another level by providing information about realities of elder care you will not find in any other book. Dispelled, is the myth propagated by "Big Pharma" and the academic community over emphasizing the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in the face of the normal aging process. This has side tracked the geriatric medicine community onto CNN waiting for a cure that will never come just as sure as people will keep getting old. Meanwhile companies get rich and professors who don't actually treat dementia patients get famous. And there's the popular and inappropriate use of anxiety drugs to calm agitation in confused patients or the appropriate use of antipsychotics in the elderly despite the FDA warning against them. These are some of the eye openers you will find in this book. With this knowledge a family can better understand actual mechanisms of disease, make proper treatment decisions, and even begin their own personal brain health programs.

Description I have been in and out of a lot of different institutions since the age of six. The first time I was admitted was to the Mary Burbury unit at Burnley general hospital. I have been to prison a few times, a few children's homes and many different types' of wards and psychiatric units.After spending so much time in these places, I started to write poems about how I felt and what was going through my mind. I made lots of them flow and rhyme with long dark descriptive words which reflects where my head was at the time. I documented my experience with schizophrenic affective disorder and the results are profound.I was into drugs heavily which took me to dark places. Some of my poems explain the negativity that they create and the nasty world around them when you take them. I have seen many people in prisons and hospitals with drug induced psychosis and been through to myself. I would love these poems in particular to serve as a deterrent for any one even thinking of trying drugs. Some of these poems are here to give you an insight into drugs and the affects on mental health disorders that people experience, my self included. This book was mainly written as I was moved from one institution to the next and became a big part in my self counselling which has helped me greatly along the road.About the AuthorBen Lee Almond is 28 years old and was born in Blackburn and raised in Burnley.

Description The book was written with a view to enlighten those with little or no experience of coming into contact with those unfortunate to be suffering with PTSD, or indeed those with PTSD wanting more information about their disorder. It was not meant to be a work that should be read from start to finish, but may be done so if the reader wishes. It was intended to be used as a pick up reference.Extracts of the author's life and own particular turmoil has been used to give clear and concise descriptions of some of the symptoms that go to make up PTSD. The book is not written from a medical view, nor is it a definitive article on PTSD (if such a work exists) but to put down in layman's terms , words and phrases that one may hear when dealing with PTSD, in order to help form a clearer understanding of the disorder.Certain examples of PTSD in given situations have been included to give an insight into what could be happening to the sufferer, without onlookers realising. There are obvious examples where onlookers cannot fail to notice that something is going on but not understand what. I have also included a glossary of terms in an aid to understand the jargon.