This post is part of the accompanying tips, resources, interviews with experts, and stories of mental health recovery included in the exclusive serialization of Cured.
In addition to bringing you my story, the wonderful aspect of serializing Cured is that I get to mix in other elements like other people’s stories of recovery.
It’s so important to bring everyone’s story of recovery to the forefront. We need to urge the media, publishers, and mental health professionals to discuss these stories and share with people the fact that mental health recovery is possible, even from serious mental illness.
I’m thrilled to have Leon McFadden here. He’s an amazing man. His story is beyond remarkable.
Leon MacFayden is a writer and the creator of the Substack Policing Mental Health. He writes for many publications, sharing his experiences as a police officer who experienced mental health problems for twenty years and recovered.
As a police officer, he worked in challenging inner city areas and eventually cracked under the strain. He began suffering flashbacks, depression, and anger and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Schizophrenia and told he was 100 percent disabled forever. His life as he knew it was over.
After a long struggle, he defied expectations and healed.
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Visit the Table of Contents and Introduction of Cured:
Find more resources for mental health recovery.
Read the prequel to ‘Cured,’ ‘Pathological’ (HarperCollins):
Stories of Healing: Leon MacFayden