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Discombobulated: An Inspiring Journey of Hope Through Mental Illness

by Kelly Ann Compton with Cheryl Arnold Ph.D.

187 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #05-3167; ISBN 1-4120-8201-3; US$19.50, C$22.42, EUR15.20, £10.08

Hallucinations. Voices that weren't mine. Dark caverns governing my emotions. Life with mental illness was desperate, yet hopeful. Discombobulated invites you to enter my world. Travel the journey with me.

About the Book

Mental illness has been my life. It began with deep dark feelings of internal horribleness at age 10 and culminated with a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder in my late 30s. What is it like to live with a mental illness? Confusing. For years I could not decipher between real and not real. Dreams, hallucinations and real life blended into one reality. My hallucinations mostly consisted of my being raped. It could happen at any time. Voices would tell me to do things such as drive into a wall or shred my skin. Still, until a major breakdown at age 34 where I discovered I had no self, I was able to hide my terrifying life. I've been hospitalized 2 1/2 times and one year I took medical leave from my job. Proper diagnosis took years. My diagnosis history included Histrionic, Major Depression, Multiple Personality Disorder, and finally Schizoaffective Disorder. With the right therapist, and time, came the correct diagnosis; with the correct diagnosis, came the medication that helped bring my life under control in a good way.

The journey has been a long one. Writing my story has been one of physical and emotional need. I had to write it. My message is one of hope. My therapist has written her perspective, too, adding to the completeness of my story. I want people to have a better understanding of mental illness. I want people to know how horrible a mental illness can be, and that there can be hope.

About the Author

Kelly Ann Compton shares her own story in Discombobulated. With her recovery, Kelly Ann has a passion to share the hope of her story and perhaps bring hope to others having a mental illness. She wrote Discombobulated because it crashed into her brain screaming to be written. Kelly Ann has been a special education teacher for twenty years. She holds an M.S.Ed. in special education and an MA in counseling. Free time finds Kelly Ann Sewing, reading, and movie watching.

Cheryl Arnold, Ph.D. is a psychologist and educator in Denver, Colorado. Her areas of expertise include eating disorders and Dissociative Identity Disorder (aka Multiple Personality Disorder.) In addition to national television appearances on Montel, Dr. Arnold has presented at national and international conferences in the areas of psychology and education. She holds a doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology. In her spare time, Dr. Arnold enjoys traveling the world and spending time with family.