Terri Cheney

Terri Cheney provides a raw, unflinching account of her mental illness, specifically the manic states of her bipolar disorder. Told in brief, non-chronological order chapters, the memoir mimics the unpredictability and jarring nature of mania, leaving the reader slightly unmoored.

One of Cheney’s stated goals is to reduce the stigma of mental illness. She illustrates the lengths that those suffering from mental illness go to in order to hide their disease from colleagues, friends, and show more strangers. She also shows that once she shares her “secret” she finds more support and understanding than she expected.

More factual information about bipolar disorder would have been nice. Placing Cheney’s illness and behavior in context and along a continuum would have been more educational. As a memoir, this book provided good insight into Cheney’s most extreme episodes and behaviors. However, readers should not assume that Cheney’s experience is typical of all manic depressives. A disclaimer to this fact would have been appreciated. show less

I need a dozen copies of this book. She captured so many of the feelings so well that everyone who loves me needs to read this. I kept nodding along going "yes, exactly! Oh thanks the gods I'm not alone!"

So many of the books written about individual bipolar patients are about the extreme cases, this one is about those of us who can pass when we want to. Thank you, Terri, thank you thank you a thousand times for writing this.

If you know or are a manic-depressive, please do yourself the favor show more of getting your hands on a copy of this book. Graspable language and honest admissions make this book a must read for the loved ones who suffer along with us, and frank descriptions of mood shifts and her own truth make this one a must read for those of us whose brain chemistry causes the suffering.

I want to mark this with highlighters and make all those who care for me read it, she spoke my truth better than I've been able to in so many places. show less

First of all, this was so well written. Unlike other memoirs I have read, there was no sense of rambling or getting off track. Each chapter had a point and was both self contained and yet part of the whole. And then the subject itself - Ms. Cheney manages to create a real sense of what she experiences without resorting to sensationalism. Finally, I loved the final chapters where she describes her choices to stay sane - the struggle to resist the more appealing parts of her disease in order show more to stay with sane. There is raw courage in those moments. Well done. show less

Manic takes its readers on a journey through the treacherous bouts of mania and the bleak depths of depression. Terri Cheney is a prime example of how mental illness and tragedy can afflict even the brightest, most educated, wealthy and above all pristine looking individuals. As a powerful and respected entertainment lawyer, she represented high profile clients and mingled with A-list celebrities, all while keeping up the illusion of normalcy.

For most people, there is no such thing as too show more much happiness. However, for Cheney, surges of happiness tend to foreshadow danger because they signify a descent into mania. The manic episodes become charged by bursts of unlimited energy which spurn sexual impropriety and complete lack of self control. Her portrayal of her experience with depression reveals her vulnerability and loneliness, leading to a number of suicide attempts, both spontaneous and planned. There is no chronological order to the book, as Cheney explains, because “life for me is not defined by time, but by mood”. While this disjointed style takes some getting used to, it is also effective in mirroring the chaotic nature of manic depression, just as Cheney had wanted.

Cheney’s writing style is personal and inviting, as though she is recounting her tragic tales to a close friend. Many events in her life are quite shocking and the vivid descriptions of her suffering are sometimes hard to digest. Nonetheless, these stories are an important part of her past and a reality of those who must cope with manic depression. They remind us of how fragile human beings can be and that appearances are not always as they seem. Cheney’s pain is clearly manifested throughout the novel but the humor intertwined in her narration shows a sense of acceptance and maturity. Her ability to look back upon the most excruciating years in her life with insight and understanding is remarkable. Terri Cheney should be applauded for her courage to open up to the world about her struggle with bipolar disorder. I know I am grateful to her for letting me in. show less