Writer proud to publish first book

AN emotional tale of overcoming the barriers associated with mental illness is the focus of Karen Tyrrell's first published book titled Me and Her, A Memoir of Madness.

The Logan resident shares her story of how her life dramatically changed after suffering some negative experiences which saw her end up in a psychiatric hospital.

"If you have long term sleep deprivation over a year, your brain chemistry changes," Mrs Tyrrell said.

"That's what happened to me and then I developed Bipolar Disorder.

"I ended up in a psychiatric hospital where I spent a long time."

Mrs Tyrrell first began writing notes for her book while she was in hospital.

She would interview the doctors, staff and her family to try and help her recovery process.

"I was trying to understand what was happening to me," she said.

"But my story is a story of hope, a story of recovery and how I overcame my issues.

"Many people don't understand mental illness, so I wanted to share my story so everyone can have a greater understanding of how it can happen to anyone.

"We are all vulnerable."

After more than 100 drafts, her book was published and will be launched at the Logan North Library on Tuesday, May 1.

For more information on the book, or to purchase a copy, you can log on to Karen's website www.karentyrrell.com.