Book places spotlight on family mental health Couple publish honest account of married life with schizophrenia
At some point in their lives, one in 100 people will suffer from an episode of schizophrenia and, each year, one in four will experience a mental health problem, according to Mind UK. At any one time, 220,000 people are being treated for schizophrenia in the UK by the NHS. Mental health can and does affect thousands of people in the UK and impacts on the lives of individuals and their relationships. Cameron Leiper was diagnosed with chronic paranoid schizophrenia in 1988, lives in Alford with his wife Tara, music director of Banchory Singers, and a new book charts the struggles they have experienced. Is This Real? has been co-written by the couple, allowing each author to express what life is like with mental illness at the centre of their relationship. It is a candid, thoughtful, and at times, unsettling account of their lives, revealing the upset and anxiety caused by the chasm between the rational and irrational as they go
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about daily activities. The book, published by Cherish Editions, opens up the conversation surrounding schizophrenia, providing pragmatic and supportive advice to those whose lives have been impacted by the disorder. Drawing on her own experience, Tara explores the way in which the condition has affected her and her husband’s relationship, discussing both the low points as well as the high. She provides advice every step of the way, making this lived experience book an indispensable companion for carers. Proceeds will raise vital funds for Shawmind, a Newark-based mental health charity, which has previously campaigned to make mental health education compulsory in UK schools. Is This Real? Our Story of Living With Schizophrenia by Cameron and Tara Leiper is available in paperback and Kindle versions. ISBN: 9781913615130 cherisheditions.com
