Amanda Jayne Gilmer was diagnosed with Schizoaffective disorder eight years ago after suffering a breakdown. This pamphlet explores the illness and how it affected her. She is hoping other sufferers of severe mental illness will relate to the poems within, which explore depression, anxiety, and being high and low.
Schizoaffective disorder pairs the highs and lows of bipolar disorder with the psychosis of schizophrenia. Many aspects of the author’s illness were unexplainable and difficult to understand. Poetry enabled her to explain and explore these elements in the written word. Her illness was previously not spoken about, and these poems helped her come to terms with her experiences.
She also wants to convey that there is life after mental breakdown and that recovery is possible. For her, poetry was a part of this.
