Warm Tears in the Cold
by Louise Bretland-Treharne
The author Louise, has written a very open-hearted and authentic account of her life starting in childhood, and leading to the most horrendous experience when she went from being a nurse, to a patient entrapped within the psychiatric system. She spent 21 years on a multitude of psychiatric drugs and describes in some detail the harm done to her, while mental health services failed to look at her problems holistically. It took a grave toll on her health both physically and mentally and Louise was only rescued from the situation, when an endocrinologist took her off the cocktail of drugs as an experiment to confirm his suspicions that they had caused raised levels of a hormone called prolactin. Indeed, he was right but what was more remarkable was that Louise’s life instantaneously improved when her drugs were stopped, with many of her symptoms remitting.
Louise bravely recounts the obstacles which she has overcome to recover and rehabilitate after decades as a psychiatric patient whilst coming to terms with the diagnosis of a rare and life changing disease called ‘ataxia with chorea’. Perhaps it is even more astonishing that she manages to pull herself away from the understandable anger that accompanied the realisation that if she been listened to as a young woman, she could have avoided the many years spent entrapped within mental health services. She was robbed of her career and the potential to have a family but rises above this in her kindness towards anyone who worked in the system. Louise who is also an avid animal lover, describes with joy the meeting of her partner and the fulfilment she has had in becoming an activist to bring awareness and education of ataxia to sufferers, their families and healthcare providers.
The author is remarkable; her determination, courage and persistence in the face of adversity shines through this truly heart-warming book. She chose to accept her difficulties while finding different means of expressing herself through finding her voice -literally by a return to singing but also in her ability to write both poetry and prose. It is worth finding out more and if you want to read a story of hope and courage, I thoroughly recommend this book.
Mad in the UK hosts blogs by a diverse group of writers. The opinions expressed are the writers’ own.
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