An Improbable Psychiatrist

An Improbable Psychiatrist is a powerful and insightful story of mental illness, told through the dual lens of a doctor, who later became a patient. Rebecca Lawrence shares her story of being a doctor and a psychiatrist while living with bipolar disorder. She details her experience of being an inpatient on a psychiatric ward, receiving electroconvulsive therapy, training as a doctor, and navigating the challenges of grief, loss, and family. Through her inspiring story, Rebecca aims to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and provide comfort to those who suffer from severe mood disorders and those who care for them. Told through engaging and captivating prose, this book will pull you into Rebecca’s world and leave you with the powerful reminder that with the right support and treatment, it is possible to live with severe mental illness. Ultimately, this is a story of hope.

• Offers a first-hand account of severe mental illness, providing the reader with a fuller understanding of what this looks like
• Dispels some of the myths and stigma around severe mental illness and the treatments provided, particularly around electroconvulsive therapy
• Demonstrates that it is possible to live and work with severe mental illness, despite the misconceptions around this