Sequel to Caught Between Sunshine & Shadow launch

10 October 2011

E-book sequel to Caught Between Sunshine & Shadow is launching in Auckland

Bay of Plenty primary school teacher, Georgie Tutt, has just published her second book - Caught Between Sunshine & Shadow: Part II- Untold Stories - an e-publication that is the sequel to last year’s Caught Between Sunshine & Shadow.

She is launching it in Auckland’s Pt Chevalier Public Library on Thursday, 13 October – during Mental Health Awareness Week.

Both this book and the earlier one share New Zealanders’ experiences of Bipolar Affective Disorder and Georgie (who lives with the disorder) wants the stories to challenge misconceptions about bipolar disorder, reduce discrimination and to promote wellness and recovery.

After looking for supportive books in her local library and finding only one – Julie Leibrich’s A Gift of Stories – Georgie applied for and received a 2010 New Zealand Mental Health Media Grant and compiled a book herself.

She made an appeal for contributors through the media and one book has turned into two, as it was not possible to include all the stories that were originally submitted in the printed book.

“There are 25 new stories and poems in the e-book,” she says, “with the life experiences shared coming from a wide spectrum of New Zealanders who have found the courage to speak out about their experiences.”

People such as: partners Steve and Teresa, Stuart Bostock and his family, and Sue a lecturer in media studies.

“Interviewing Stuart Bostock and his family was particularly moving for me,” Georgie says.“Both Stuart and his father were in tears as they told their stories about Stuart’s experience. I said that if they found it too upsetting we could stop, but they wanted to continue and Stuart’s mother said she thought it was good for them to talk.”

Georgie says it is notable that of the 25, 10 wanted to use pseudonyms, “this group are still acutely aware of, and are still affected by, the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness that all the contributors have come across.”

In compiling these books both Georgie and other contributors have gained a greater insight into how bipolar can be managed.

The most important message Georgie says readers with families affected by bipolar should take away from Caught Between Sunshine & Shadow: Part II – Untold Stories is that “they are not alone and, that by getting the correct diagnosis and support, that there is a way to manage this illness”.

She believes acceptance is a big thing.

“First you have to accept you have an illness, then you have to work out how to manage it,” she says. “Those who are unable to come to terms with their experience often struggle with it.”

She says another theme coming through the e-book is the importance of having good support. “It’s part of the healing process to have that support around you from others.”

In Georgie’s case, she was first diagnosed as having bipolar in 1991, when she was 28 years old. At the time she was living in the UK and had only been married for about eight months. “It was an immense shock, for both of us,” she says.

Fortunately, Georgie had the support and love of her husband and family, as well as her friends and neighbours, throughout her recovery journey.

Georgie still has ‘blips’ but has developed an understanding of her trigger points and now seeks help before situations begin to spiral out of control.

Georgie’s advice to those who have someone in their life with experience of mental illness is to “talk to them as you would anyone else, try and find out from them how you can support them.

“Learn about their trigger points and try and work together on an action plan while they are well, so they will trust you when they are sick.”

Georgie hopes to get Caught Between Sunshine & Shadow and its sequel into every single library in New Zealand. “For me it was important to be able to find a book on the shelf as I didn’t want to draw attention to myself by having to ask if any existed.”

“The e-book is about making a less costly version available to as many people as possible”, she says. “We are not interested in making money, we just wanted to cover our costs and help people in the process – that’s why it is free to those who have already purchased the first book.”

The NZ Mental Health Media Grants are proudly supported by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand and the Ministry of Health’s Like Minds, Like Mine programme.

ENDS

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