About this item
Killing yourself at any age is a seriously tricky business But when I was seven the odds felt insurmountable As a young girl Terri Cheneys life looked perfect Her family lived in a lovely house in a tranquil Los Angeles suburb where the geraniums never once failed to bloom She was pretty and smart an academic superstar and popular cheerleader whose father doted on her But starting with her first suicide attempt at age seven it was clear that her inner world was anything but perfect Theres something wrong with her her mother would whisper her voice quivering on the edge of despair And indeed there was although no one had a name for it yet Hostage to her roller-coaster moods Terri veered from easy A-pluses to total paralysis from bouts of obsessive hypersexuality to episodes of alcoholic abandon that nearly cost her her life Throughout Terris chaotic early years nothing was certain from day to day except this whatever was so deeply wrong with her must be kept a secret Thirty years later Terri wrote Manic a harrowing memoir that revealed her adult struggle with bipolar disorder It became an instant New York Times bestseller and received passionate critical acclaim But it didnt tell the whole story The mystery of Terris childhood remained untouched too troubling too painful to fathom The Dark Side of Innocence explores those tumultuous formative years finally shattering Terris well-guarded secret With vivid intensity it blends a pitch-perfect childlike voice with keen adult observation The Dark Side of Innocence provides a heart-rending groundbreaking insiders look into the fascinating and frightening world of childhood bipolar disorder an illness that affects a staggering one million children This poignant and compelling story of Terris journey from disaster and despair to hope and survival will serve as an informative and eye-opening tale for those who would trust a flawless facade.
About the Author
As a successful entertainment attorney in Beverly Hills, Terri represented the likes of Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, and major motion picture studios. But beneath her seemingly flawless façade she was struggling with a dangerous secret: ever since childhood, Terri had been battling a debilitating case of bipolar disorder. Despite wild mood swings and repeated suicide attempts (the earliest at age seven) , Terri managed to keep her condition secret from everyone - but at a terrible price. Finally, in an effort to save her own life, she wrote a searing account of her mental illness. Manic: A Memoir quickly became a New York Times bestseller, was optioned by HBO, and translated into eight foreign languages. Following Manic's publication, Terri received hundreds of emails from parents of bipolar children, asking about her own childhood. In response, she wrote The Dark Side of Innocence: Growing Up Bipolar - a groundbreaking personal portrayal of the emerging phenomenon of childhood bipolar disorder.Terri's writings and commentary about bipolar disorder have also been featured in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Huffington Post, NPR, PsychologyToday.com, and countless articles and popular blogs. Terri now devotes her advocacy skills to the cause of mental illness. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy, and Ethics at USC, the Honorary Board of Directors of the International Bipolar Foundation, and the Board of Directors of Project Return Peer Support Network. She also served on the Community Advisory Board of the UCLA Mood Disorders Research Program. In recognition of her public service, she received an official commendation from the County of Los Angeles, as well as the annual Advocates Award from Mental Health Advocacy Services, and the 2011 Imagine Award. She founded and facilitates a weekly mental health support group at UCLA's Neuropsychiatric Institute. Terri graduated with honors from Vassar College, and attended UCLA School of Law. She currently lives in Los Angeles.
