Man, Interrupted

Jan 30, 2025 5:50 PM

Author:James Bailey

Man, Interrupted

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.

Reviews

I love James Bailey's book. Right from the first page, I was riveted by his compelling, honest account of that intense part of his life. The book is fraught with wonderfully unique encounters. I recommend it to anyone and everyone

—— Mel Brooks, film director and screenwriter

If you have a functioning heart and like to laugh, take this book home. You are sure to connect

—— Brian Reilly, film producer

A vivid memoir

—— Daily Telegraph

A very funny, profound, soul-searching account of James' emotional journey . . . the story sits somewhere between The Catcher in the Rye and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

—— Bizarre

Amazing! As hilarious as it is gripping. Our generation's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

—— Mary Janice Davidson, bestselling author

I love James's book! It completely captivated with wonderful and funny moments about the life and times of an OCD sufferer. Everyone should read it

—— Michael Lionello Cowan, film producer

I found it funny with many interesting moments

—— Barry Levinson, film producer and director

It is no wonder that Mel Brooks is a long-time friend and admirer of Bailey's writing. Maybe there's even a film character in the making

—— Bath Chronicle

The particular strength of Bailey's book is that he is not afraid to show himself as deeply unpleasant

—— Mail on Sunday

Bailey's vivid sense of humour means he relates his story with a knowing sense of the absurd . . . illuminating

—— Daily Mail

A wonderful memoir

—— Daily Telegraph

In a book that is partly a popular science treatise and partly a self-help manual... he interweaves life stories and clinical evidence in an engaging and informative manner... He is grappling with one of the most important questions for our times

—— Joanna Bourke , Times Higher Education

In his 2007 book Musicophilia, psychiatrist Oliver Sacks warned that although neuroscience offers exciting insights, 'there is always a certain danger that the simple art of observation may be lost, that clinical description may become perfunctory, and the richness of the human context ignored'. Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, UK, rises to the challenge in his latest book by combining basic science and clinical observation in an attempt to explain human cruelty... We should take Baron-Cohen's accessible book as an invitation to leave the comforts of smaller, more tractable problems in a genuine attempt to address larger social issues

—— Stephanie Preston , Nature

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