Title: Pardon My Psychosis
Author: James Coast
Publisher: James Coast
Publication Date: March, 2024
Genre: Memoir
Pages: 324
My Rating: ★★★★★
“A once normal life now shattered like a piece of defective pottery at the hands of its distraught maker. How did I break so easily? Or better yet, why did I break so thoroughly?”
Pardon My Psychosis takes you through James’ journey of a psychotic break. Told through his perspective, it’s an eye opener of a story, illustrating just how scary and debilitating mental illness can be. As well as his story, there’s informative facts about bipolar disorder, aiming to broaden the readers understanding of the illness. It’s nice to read some positives, like how creative those with bipolar are, and not just the heart wrenching negative statistics.
“What I saw, heard, and felt bounced between a beautiful fairytale and the most heart-pounding nightmare imaginable. Manic is no respector of persons, but it was a fuel for the wildest ride I’ve ever taken”
As someone who has a psychotic break, this was so moving to read. I sympathised with James and completely understand that it all starts with the lack of sleep! The constant questioning of your mood, the medication “tweaks”, the embarrassment and constant replaying of your behaviour. It’s exhausting. I was glad the author included the aftermath and getting better, and not just the “juicy” bits of the mania itself.
After reading this, I feel validated that I’m not the only one and took comfort in the bible extracts, even though I’m not religious.
I’m so proud of James for having the courage to write, and publish, his story. Thank you for advocating for those of us that have experienced psychosis.
“Even with the medication, there is no guarantee it won’t happen again. Even when the clouds obscure the moon, it remains in the sky. Patiently waiting in the background for a tiny crack to gain a foothold and burst forth again”
Thank you to NetGalley and James Coast for my advanced copy.
NO SHELF CONTROL 
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