Cracking & Barkin'

Description

I have tried to portray the time leading up to my schizophrenia and the experience of psychosis. I have described how I felt in the world of psychiatry especially in relation to the use of cannabis and the never-ending nightmare of long-term heavy use of medication. I have tried to explore my fears, which are usually buried in ones subconscious but come to the fore with this illness. Deirdre Geraghty

About the Author

Deirdre Geraghty was born in the 1950s in South London, she was the fourth of six children born to Irish immigrant parents. Deirdre describes herself as a 1960s free thinker but the 1970s brought a responsible job and marriage to a director of 'Private Eye' magazine. By the 1980s he was out of work and Deirdre was pregnant. She found employment two years later which led to psychiatric hospital and schizophrenia. This was put down to cannabis use and followed by 5 years of psychosis and a divorce. Deirdre and her son moved to Norwich where she spent many years rocking back and forth heavily medicated. She has only recently woken up.