Benjamin Diven

Closing the Chasm: Letters from a Bipolar Physician to His Son Benjamin Diven

What would it be like to be a physician with a major mental illness? You would have all the challenges of medical practice complicated by moods that swung from high to low and back again. What if you were also struggling to be a husband and a father? In this engaging and at times intimate look into life with bipolar disorder Dr. Diven offers insights into symptoms and problems living with this mental illness. There are discussions of family life and near suicide, medications and therapy, and complications and successes. Sometimes comical and often serious vignettes of common experiences with other bipolar patients are explored or explained. Written in the form of letters to his eldest child the story is warmly personal while adding a professional's insight. Excellent reading for anyone interested in a fascinating biography this book also serves as an open look into manic-depressive illness for persons with similar struggles or the loved ones of a mentally ill person.