Detour from Normal

Before April 14, 2011, Ken Dickson lived a life indistinguishable from those of other residents of his Phoenix suburb. The normally healthy fifty-five year-old held a regular job, and lived with his loving wife, two teenage daughters, and an assortment of pets. On that mid-April day, though, the course of his life forever changes when he learns he must undergo surgery to remove a damaged portion of his lower intestine.The life-saving surgery and associated medications become catalysts for an unbelievable chain of events that cause the formerly mild-mannered man to spiral into the chaotic mental illness known as mania. Dickson is then subjected to a whirlwind of trips to emergency rooms, hospitals and ultimately, psychiatric facilities where he finds himself deep in an inescapable abyss of mental illness.Part medical mystery, and part psychological thriller, Dickson's creative nonfiction memoir, Detour from Normal, demonstrates how even the most seemingly normal life can implode in an instant. It is a riveting account of undying love and brutal anguish, of lies and arrogance, and of unforgettable characters and desperate actions.In an age when there is utmost concern about the quality of mental health care, the timing couldn't be better for this informative and inspirational memoir. Told from the real-life perspective of someone with mental illness, readers will observe first-hand the adverse reactions to medications, misdiagnoses, improper treatment, and other factors that work together to send Dickson spiraling into a seemingly inescapable hell.Despite overwhelming obstacles, Dickson struggles bravely to reclaim the life he has lost. His journey proves to be a perilous one of unexpected discovery, and from its foretelling opening pages to its unpredictable climax, it never ceases to be fascinating, enlightening and thought provoking.

I have experienced mania from Bipolar and I am always curious when some one else experiences something like mania or depression.

First of all I have to be honest and admit that the writing was not the best in this book. However I was curious about how he handled his mania episode so I ignored that and read on.

He first details the illness that had preceded the mania episode then details his decent into mania. Aside form not sleeping I have to say we had two very different experiences. I liked reading about how describes his decent into mania. At first I was sure that he had undiagnosed bipolar and almost every book I have read by someone with bipolar the prose sings. It is like a cursed gift. You get words from the angels but you pay a dark price for it and this…well it was mostly choppy and disjointed.

I felt kinda bad that it seemed that no Dr were really able to help him. In hindsight I can see why. He had no history of mental illness and no family history so it probably never even entered their minds. I have to be honest, I kept waiting for the diagnoses of bipolar to come and I was more than a little irked when he refused to take his medication. I wanted to reach through my kindle and shake him and tell him, honestly the sooner you take it the sooner your nightmare will be over. So yes I had my jugdey glasses on.

At the end when he has recovered from the ordeal I was shocked to find out the real cause of his mania. I have never heard of this cause even though I have read memoirs like this since 2007.

The story was good but like I said the writing was choppy and disjointed. It made it hard to read at times. Other than that it is an interesting memoir.