Mental health, recovery and adoption |
 |
 |
 |
| Wednesday, 30 November 2011 |
Mindfulness teacher, Jeannie Mackenzie, talks about her experiences of writing a book co-authored with her adopted son that recounts both their experiences of mental ill-health and recovery.
 When people find out that I adopted a ten year old boy from a psychiatric ward, they usually want to know more! Friends suggested I write a book about the experience, but until recently, I was unwilling, partly because it wasn’t just my story – it was also Gordon’s. The other reason for my reluctance was that it was difficult at first to stand back from some of the bleaker aspects of the story. While the adoption had been a success in building a new and loving family, we had also experienced some very dark times.When my son was 22 years old, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I read every book that I could find on the subject so that I could learn about the condition. One thing all the writers agreed on was that bipolar was difficult to treat and incurable. The prognosis seemed to be that medication might help to stabilise extreme states and prevent suicide, however, there were warnings of side effects and the difficulty of getting patients to comply with the treatment. I found it hard to come to terms with such a grim outlook. Gordon reached acceptance of his condition much sooner than I did. He believed that although he was bipolar, bipolar did not define him. He held on to a vision of his potential and began on a slow and sometimes faltering route to recovery. For four years now, with the full support of his psychiatrist, he has been free of meds and is able to lead a normal life, working full time, living in his own home and being fully involved in his community. One evening, I asked Gordon if he would like to write the story with me. He said yes immediately and the next morning I received an email from him with the first three chapters attached – speedy working is one of the positive aspects of bipolarity! I found it harder to write my sections, partly because it involved being open about my own struggles with depression and the hard road to recovery. For Gordon, recovery has come through avoiding undue stress, taking care of his diet and checking in regularly with his doctor. For me, recovery has come from the insights that mindfulness meditation has given me into my destructive though patterns. This change motivated me to set up a social enterprise teaching mindfulness approaches. Those who have read our book are kind enough to tell us they find it warm, courageous, uplifting and funny! It wasn’t until I read the final draft that I realised it is also a story of recovery: of recovery from early childhood trauma; from a disabling drug regime; from severe mental illness and from recurring depression.  As if I was a Real Boy by Gordon and Jeannie Mackenzie was published by the British Association for Adoption and Fostering in 2011 and all proceeds go towards that organisation.You can learn more about Jeannie Mackenzie and mindfulness at Everyday Mindfulness Scotland. SRN advertise a range of events and resources developed by external organisations. In doing so we do not necessarily endorse or recommend them and we are in no way responsible for content or quality. Comments (0)
 Write comment
|
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
See our Submit Your Thoughts pages for details on how to submit a story to us or you can contact us.
 |
 |