David Hamilton - The Penultimate Hope

Posted by See Me, 4 November 2020

The fifth and final instalment of David Hamilton's personal story. Author of 'Mind Over! Whats the Matter?' David shares his experiences of bipolar disorder.

David's Story

I was diagnosed with bipolar at the age of 16 on the 4th February 2002. This moment of my life was one of the hardest things that I have ever went through. However, with that experience, I feel that I am a stronger person for going through it. 

Years after sustaining good routines and just driving through life I decided to park up and look back on my journey. I decided to write a book after years of mulling over it. 

My initial reason for writing the book was to make sure nobody has to go through what I went through. 

To give a good account of myself I managed to collect all of my doctors notes through months of trying to obtain them. I began to piece through them to get a good timeline of events and others views on my actions and behaviours. 

Throughout the book I have mentioned that it’s not the typical person you see in films that get sectioned into psychiatric wards. The many people I met are in everyday jobs and every walk of life. Anyone can go through a bad time. 

I released my book 18 years after my diagnosis on the 4th February 2020.

This is the final excerpt from the book that I will be sharing.

The Penultimate Hope

The aim of the putting these open and honest feelings laid to paper is to try and help anyone effected in the way I was. As the old cliché goes, if one person can take inspiration from my story then I will be pleased.

I hope my experiences will help the kids of today. The teenagers that are going through that change in life, who are trying to find who they are in this world.

To the adults who haven’t managed to understand and grasp the demons that have been locked inside all these years.

And in general, to provide knowledge of bipolar and mental health as a whole and try and eliminate the stigma that comes with it.

I hope the recurring nightmares I have about waking up in a psychiatric ward never happen to anyone else.