Ad Gridley writes about his experiences of psychosis and using mental health services from the late nineties with warmth and humanity. I was keen to read this autobiography as Ad spoke to my cohort of mental health nurses when we were in our final year of study. Gridley writes about how some of the nurses he encountered literally saved his life but also some of the difficulties he encountered in services. Gridley’s depiction of in-patient wards is brutally honest, but a key element of his testimony is the role that substance misuse, namely cannabis played in the development of his schizophrenia. He also recognises the indispensable role of antipsychotic medications in keeping his psychosis at bay and keeping him out of hospital. Gridley survived a serious suicide attempt and seriously injured himself jumping onto a railway line, noting that a last-minute decision to fall feet first almost certainly saved his life. His narration of his life from a gap year in Canada where his problematic cannabis use developed to his fist hospitalisation gives the reader and uncomfortable insight into the terror of what Gridley describes as a “descent into madness”.
The format of the book is unusual in that it is written in lots of short sections with sub headers. This breaks the narrative into discreet themes or episodes and works well in keeping the reader’s interest piqued. Whilst some of the scenes which took place considerable years ago would not seem familiar to a newly qualified nurse (such as smoking rooms on wards), most of the central ideas remain just as pertinent. It is hard to identify any central message from this book as Gridley’s memoir neither vilifies nor extols mental health services.
Gridley writes himself in the afterword:
“I implore you to laugh at the funny parts and cry at the sad. More than anything, I hope you can learn what the human mind is capable of creating, fighting and ultimately overcoming. With the correct help and support, mountains can be overcome.”
For the mental health professional, this book is a vehicle for empathy, showing us the wards and the psychotic mind from the insider’s perspective. For me that is a valuable tool that I hope we can use in helping our patients and service users climb and ultimately conquer their own personal mountains.
The Geographer by Ad Gridley is available from Amazon.
Mental Health Nursing 
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