Hello everyone. Thanks for the reading list. I personally liked Electroboy and Night Falls Fast. I also liked and recommend The Center Cannot Hold, even though it's (mostly) about coping with schizophrenia, because Elyn Saks and I both experienced what is called 'thought broadcasting delusions'.

I also wrote an autobiography that was published this past November. It's about my seventeen year struggle to cope with mental illness. In the 1980s, I was a bipolar child being raised by abusive parents who themselves had undiagnosed mental illnesses. I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, which as many of you know, is a kind of combination of manic depression and schizophrenia. In my case I had the symptoms of bipolar disorder 1 comorbid with schizophrenic tendencies, in addition to PTSD that was caused by years of exposure to a toxic family environment.

Now it's been over fifteen years since I've tried to take my own life. In my book I discuss how I got to a place of balance and acceptance when most of my past was marked by strife and hopelessness. The book also documents my experiences as a ward of the State in the juvenile mental health system, living as a teen in psychiatric residential facilities, group homes for emotionally disturbed adolescents and foster homes. All placements where I met other teens and children like myself. Fair warning: the book does have some triggering events in it. But it also has some of my own personal strategies for dealing with triggers. .

It's called "Possessing Me: A Memoir of Healing" and it was written by me, Jane Alexander. It is available on Amazon. Have a great holiday everyone!