How fascinating, but frightening it is to enter the world of someone who suffers from schizophrenia. Richard McLean is to be admired for opening a window into this world and giving us such an honest and graphic story regarding the mysteries of much-stigmatised illness. McLean is able to show the reader that with proper medical intervention and the support of family and friends, recovery is achievable. He further demonstrates that while recovery does not equal a cure, a person with schizophrenia can achieve an interesting and rewarding life.

The reader is taken on a series of adventures, which demonstrates both delusional and clearer thought processes as Richard tries to understand himself. Music, playing in bands and his friends are entwined in his delusional paranoid thinking. He discusses the dark foreboding that envelops him, his depression and his endless conversations about aspects of his sexuality. His mood swings and ability to express feeling mean that others regard him as eccentric. Richard moves towards recovery through a combination of medical help, medication and cognitive changes, whilst revealing the challenges that comfort him along the way.

As he tried to make sense of his delusional thinking and paranoid psychotics episodes, McLean allows the reader to share in the total confusion and fear that his condition brings to the sufferer. (At the point in the story, as Richard describes his struggle to control his thoughts, it occurs to me that we usually take our ability to do this for granted.) With exceptional creativity, his graphic illustrations describe a virtual timeline, although in contrast, one drawing depicts a chaotic sense of time common in people with schizophrenia. Also woven into his narrative are extracts from stories on the Internet, where people have written about their experiences relating to schizophrenia.

McLean shows much insight when he discusses the effects of drugs, particularly marijuana. One comment he makes about the social rituals of marijuana use is very telling: ‘…even though the thrill of it faded, bongs (still) made me paranoid – I felt people were picking on me.’

In various cultures mental illness is misunderstood, with consumers and their families believing that with medication alone a cure will soon follow. This book would be an invaluable stimulus for discussion in specific cultural groups. The facilitator could introduce the concept of how recovery is not dependent on medication alone, and that understanding the illness and realising that recovery is an individual process is also crucial.

Recovered, Not Cured has an honesty that encourages empathetic feelings towards anyone facing schizophrenia, and it represents a very powerful learning experience for our community, particularly for adolescents who experiment with drugs. I would also like to recommend this book for use as a text in secondary schools.

Richard McLean’s book is truly inspiring.

Recovered, Not Cured is Published by Allen & Unwin Australia 2003 ISBN 1-86508-974-5