Reviewed in Shelf Awareness for Readers, and Shelf Awareness Maximum Shelf (along with author interview):

"There are very few things more frustrating than trying to describe the state of your mental health to someone else," writes Terri Cheney in the pages of Modern Madness: An Owner's Manual. "It's amorphous and abstract; it defies pinning down." But she has proven herself a master in doing just that--describing the state of her mental health and pinning down her experiences--in her writing, further evidenced across nearly every page of Modern Madness, her fourth book about living with the "long, inarticulate howl" of mental illness.

Cheney started writing about her experience living with bipolar disorder after "a whole lot of terrible" suicide attempts, encounters with the law, broken relationships and, eventually, a stint in a mental hospital and several rounds of electroshock therapy. "I felt suffocated by all the things that weren't being said," she recalls. "And so, to save myself, I started to write." That writing led to her first memoir, Manic, which went on to become a bestseller and the basis of an episode of Netflix's Modern Love.

In Manic, Cheney "threw away all the clinical stuff." That "stuff" makes a comeback in Modern Madness, as Cheney combines clinical research summaries and accounts of various symptoms and expressions of mental illness with anecdotes and stories about her own lived experience. This combination bridges the potential gap between the "one-size-fits-all approach" of modern medicine and the individual experiences of each person living with a diagnosis of mental illness; by including both the universal and the unique, the studied and the personal, Cheney's book evolves to become more than a layperson's analysis of mental health, and more than a memoir. It is, as the subtitle promises, an "owner's manual," offering readers a guide to living with mental illness.

The framing of Modern Madness as an owner's manual defies simple description or easy genre placement. Like any good primer, it starts with the basics: how mental illness might appear and common symptoms (depression, mania, cycling, suicidality and physical manifestations of all of the above). Cheney then offers "User Precautions," "Instructions for Use" (with great detail about relationships of both the romantic and non-romantic variety) and "Troubleshooting" tips to discern good coping skills from bad. "Maintenance" outlines the role of medication and therapy, and "Warranties" urges readers to create a culture of acceptance when it comes to mental illness. Because it varies greatly from one person to the next--even those with the same diagnosis--Cheney's exploration of the subject is by no means exhaustive or prescriptive, though she does offer practical, actionable advice.

Any book about mental illness--especially when that illness led to so many moments of "terrible," as Cheney recalls--inevitably has moments of darkness, and Modern Madness is no exception. Cheney writes with a raw sense of urgency about the awful narrative inside her head during suicidal episodes, and the manic highs accompanied by extreme "drinking and driving and dating." But alongside those darker moments are stories of hope and humor, some laugh-out-loud funny. In recalling a moment when a case worker in a mental hospital asked her about her gang history, Cheney notes that she responded, "Varsity cheerleader." Cheney pokes fun at the very worn-out advice to "just exercise more!" when depressed (and offers advice on how to support a depressed person in ways that might actually be useful, all of which center on giving the person in question space to talk about their pain and be heard). Let it not be said that talking about mental illness has to be dry; the low moments in Modern Madness make these small moments of humor stand out all the more.

In the introduction, Cheney writes that Modern Madness is for those living with mental health issues themselves, but also "the people who love and sometimes want to strangle them; the health care professionals trying to help; and the millions of other people whose lives are affected by mental illness in one form or another and don't understand what it is, or more important, what the hell to do about it." It's hard to imagine a more expansive--or accurate--audience for this important and timely book. Modern Madness should be required reading for anyone impacted by mental health matters--and, as Cheney says, that's pretty much everyone. --Kerry McHugh

In her third articulate exceptionally written memoir, “Modern Madness: An Owner’s Manual” (2020) is written by Terry Cheney. From childhood on, Ms. Cheney has struggled with the affliction of having an SMI (Serious Mental Illness) of Bipolar Disorder. Also called Bipolar Depression, this illness is manifested by the cycles of extreme mood-swings that alternate between manic high’s and depressive low’s. Cheney is the author of “The Dark Side of Innocence: Growing Up Bipolar” (2011) and “Manic: A Memoir” (2009).

In the 1990’s Cheney worked in Beverly Hills as a high profile celebrity attorney that served Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. While working on her cases Cheney stayed in the best posh hotels. One time she invited a handsome valet to join her for a drink at the hotel bar. As she waited for him, an airline pilot caught her eye, and she asked both men to join her for a nude swim on the beach! Another time she met a good friend for a lunch (who she hadn’t seen for years)-- and was so distressed by the placement of the tableware she could barely focus on their conversation. Cheney would go days without showering. Unable to get out of bed or change her clothes, her greasy hair stuck to her head, she could not bear the thought of the water cascading or touching her skin. These examples illustrated her SMI well, as were her descriptions of mental hospitalizations.

There are so many individual variables involving the spectrums and complexities of this illness. Cheney was initially misdiagnosed, which is quite common, this condition can be difficult to identify and find the right treatments that really work. Eventually Cheney joined two writing groups and discovered through years of trial and error the combinations of therapies that worked best for her. Cheney’s story is courageous and helps tremendously to understand this SMI that mental health experts believe affect as much as 5% of the global population. As we become more knowledgeable, it is also important to keep in mind that there is no known cure, and this illness can be fatal. ** With appreciation to Hachette via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.

I read a lot about this book (mostly in Shelf Awareness) so I jumped at the opportunity to get a copy from Net Galley. It has a few insights, and I hesitate to say this, because the author mentions this criticism being leveled at her often by people who just don't understand, but overall it seems self-indulgent. Most of all, it's a pale imitation of Kay Redfield Jamison's An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness. I know that this is a third go-round of writing about herself, so perhaps I would have done better with her first memoir, but the segments were so short (bite-sized and digestible) that they seemed unsubstantial. Another, I think superior memoir that touches on bipolar disorder is Hope Jahren's Lab Girl. It's probably good that people keep writing about and trying to remove the stigma from mental illness, and I think the author is most helpful when she describes how important medication has been for her, but I just couldn't connect.

This was a must read for me because I seriously believe my Dad is bipolar. In diving into this book it'll open your eyes and show you what this condition is really like. An absolute must read if you know someone who is or might be. Insightful. Not to be missed. Happy reading!

This is a memoir about Terri Cheney's experiences living with Bipolar Disorder. The book is written in the form of essays which are very informative and honest. I appreciate that Cheney tells us what it is like to live with Bipolar Disorder, and also how to behave with loved ones and friends who may suffer from it.

I have not read any of Cheney's other books, but they too appear to be about her life w/ BP.

If you have family or friends w/ this disorder and are seeking greater understanding I recommend this book.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a free review.

In this follow-up to her previous two memoirs, Terri Cheney's new book "Modern Madness" includes the author's personal experiences combined with advice for those who also have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder (or for friends or family of someone who has been diagnosed).

Organized into easy to follow sections, often starting with relevant research followed by a related anecdote from her life peppered with advice, this is an easy read and a useful guide despite the heavy topic. I would also recommend this for those who work in an environment where they may have frequent interactions with others who have been diagnosed (with bipolar or with depression) such as educators, nurses, school psychologists etc...

This is Ms. Cheney's third memoir on her experience with bipolar disorder. Her first, Manic, was a New York Times bestseller and a wonderfully informative book as well as engrossing story that flowed well. Her next effort was a story of growing up bipolar, her examination of her childhood. This book is made up of short essays reflecting on various aspects of living with disease, as well as some new factual information. I didn't learn anything in this book that I didn't find out in her previous books. Much of the material was rehashed. The essay format did not work for me either.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have read a lot of book on mental illness and this is definitely one of the best I've read about bipolar disorder. One of my closest friends is bipolar and she is very open and honest about her illness. This author is also open and honest about her illness. She covers all the ups and downs of bipolar disorder well. And the chapters on relationships are very useful.