'She pulls off the remarkable feat of being informative about a subject like suicide while being funny and readable' - Birmingham Post

'Clare Hill reveals the shocking news that mental health service users can have personality and wit' - Rascal Magazine

Description

Crazy Lady (Without the Cats) is a collection of writings, part information guide and part poetry collection. Clare Hill uses the benefit of her experience of mental illness to provide guidance on many of the issues surrounding mental illness. This book covers not only the obvious questions regarding mental illness but also some of the slightly more obscure points which are bound to find resonance with fellow sufferers. For example Clare looks at the changes in libido that psychatric drugs can bring and the perils of applying for Direct Payments. Breaking up the informative elemenst of this rather ingriguing book is Clare's thought provoking and provacative creative writing. There's something here ofor everyone!

About the Author

Clare Hill's first experiences of mental illness were as a child growing up with a mother who had mental health problems. Clare's mother left her when she was young, leaving her to be bought up by her father and grandparents. At the age of 24 Claire, too, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and suffered with crippling anxiety and agoraphobia. Clare has managed to come to terms with her bipolar disorder and now has two serious boyfriends (who know about each other and don't mind!) each suiting different aspects of her personality.

Clare's first book 'Living Without Marbles' was published by Chipmunka in 2005. Since being published Clare has become more involved in the mental health and creativity movement. She has edited an anthology for online support group MadnotBad, and has had poetry, short stories and articles published in various magazines in the UK , America and online. Clare now has two websites - pulsive Disorder

Worries, doubts and superstitious beliefs are common in everyday life. It is when they become excessive, like hours of hand washing, or make no sense at all, such as rechecking locks fifteen times even though you know they are secure, that a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is made. In OCD, it is as if the brain gets stuck on a particular thought or urge and just can't let go. OCD usually involves having both obsessions and compulsions, though some people with OCD may only have one or the other. OCD symptoms can occur in people of all ages.

Not all obsessive compulsive behaviour represents an illness. Some rituals (e.g. bedtime songs) are a welcome part of daily life. Normal worries, like fears of germs and infection, may increase during times of stress, such as when someone in the family is sick, or dying. It is only when symptoms persist, make no sense, cause distress, or interfere with a person's normal life that they need clinical attention.