Book description
James Bailey's form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was as
bizarre as it was unbearable. He was obsessed by a fear of drugs and
their effects, believing himself to be in constant danger of becoming
insanely high through people spiking his food, or even by just
touching a photograph of a marijuana leaf.
The treatment programme he went through at a specialist American
clinic was challenging, to say the least. He was asked to shake hands
and mingle with the local junkies, fighting his anxieties and the urge
to go and wash for as long as possible in order to 'expose' himself to
his fears.
Man, Interrupted gives us a glimpse into the tortured world
of a man suffering from what is an increasingly common disorder. But
far from being a doom-laden account of mental illness, the result is
uniquely revealing, hilariously entertaining and wonderfully rewarding.
James Bailey was born in Arkansas City, Kansas. After pursuing an
acting career in the early '80s, he discovered that writing was another
way to express his pent-up anger and creativity. He was content to leave
Hollywood but soon after was struck with a crippling form of OCD. Now
recovered, he lives in Louisiana, where he continues to write and act.
