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Welcome to the exclusive serialization of my new memoir Cured. This is more than just a memoir; it’s a public health initiative to bring the possibility of mental health recovery to everyone.

The premise of Cured is simple: It’s possible to recover from every psychiatric condition: anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, OCD, ADHD, eating disorders, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, etc.

Not everyone will recover, but everyone must be given the chance.

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How does Cured work?


About Me

I’m an author at HarperCollins, an adjunct professor at Northwestern University, a freelance writer at The New York Times and elsewhere, a certified mental health peer recovery support specialist (PRSS), and a mental health keynote speaker who’s spoken to audiences across the country about recovery from mental illness.

My first memoir Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses (HarperCollins) is a journalistic account of the twenty-five years I spent in the mental health system and the flaws in psychiatric diagnoses, it was featured on NPROprah DailySalonForbesThe Los Angeles Times, and more.

I write for many publications, including The New York Times, The New Republic, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Time Magazine, and The Paris Review, where I was an advisory editor. My essays have been nominated for pushcart prizes and chosen as notable mentions in Best American Essays. I’m the recipient of the Hopwood Award for Literature and grants and fellowships from Yaddo, the Mellon Foundation, and the MacDowell Colony, among others.

At the Texas Book Festival, signing copies of ‘Pathological,’ post-recovery

I live in Chicago with my two beloved cats, Mr. Sweets and Baby Theo. They were instrumental in my recovery. More than anything, I want a t-shirt that says, Ask me about my cats.

Baby Theo (left), Siddhartha, a.k.a. Sweets (right)

What is recovery?


*Nothing in Cured or on this website should be taken as medical advice. I am a doctor (of philosophy) and a certified mental health peer recovery support specialist but not a licensed professional.