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A local man has published two out of three books in his mental health-focused series titled ‘An Individual’s Innocence’.
What makes James Yeo’s books unique is they are loosely based on his life story.
He will be available to sign and discuss his work on March 30 from noon to 4 p.m. at Coles in the LloydMall.
Yeo was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2005 and has used his experiences as a road map to develop the series.
“I was diagnosed late in my life with schizophrenia, so in a way, it’s kind of based on my life. My own ups and downs,” said Yeo.
“It’s not just focused on his childhood, which was extremely rough for him, but it also focuses on other parts of his life up into the point when he’s in counselling,” he said about the main character in The Silent Screams.
“Dealing with drugs, dealing with education, dealing with everything that life throws at you when you turn 18 and you move away from mom and dad.”
The second book, The Fog of Time, jumps 10 years and deals with a new set of challenges. Being in a relationship, working life, and family issues post-diagnosis.
“Once you’re diagnosed with something, funny things happen within the family unit,” said Yeo.
“My goal is to change the way society views mental health. It’s something that has to be taken on,” he said, adding the way the media portrays those with mental illness is often very misleading.
“The reason why I wanted to write the series is I wanted to get the word out that people who suffer from mental illness are not that much of a threat as what the media has made it out to be,” said Yeo.
“It’s like, yeah, there’s the one per cent that goes off their meds and goes on a shooting spree. That’s one per cent, but that’s the brush that all people with mental illness get painted with.”
He said after his diagnosis he struggled with addiction for five years.
“I had an alcohol problem because I was running away from the fact I was ill,” he said.
He was admitted to hospital in January 2010, was on suicide watch for a month and was put on proper medication.
“I always had the idea I wanted to write a book, and when I was in the hospital, that’s when it hit me. It’s like all the roads are pointing to one thing, and it was mental illness—how can I use that as an advantage for me.”
The third book in the trilogy is currently with his publisher, and he anticipates a late summer or early fall release date.
He is currently working on another novel, titled ‘Pages’, that will have a different take on mental illness, with a strong message.
“The concept of the book is from the eyes of a practitioner of mental health—a psychiatrist who goes through a hard time after his wife dies of cancer,” he said, saying depression will be incorporated into the novel.
“I want to paint that picture for society that doctors and nurses in general are people, too, and they may suffer from mental illness.”
In preparation for the book, he has been researching everything from bipolar disorder to eating disorders and addiction.
“Drug abuse is linked to mental health, any type of addiction. Not just drugs and alcohol—there’s all different types of addiction.”
To find out more about Yeo’s work visit his website jamesgyeo.ca.
