Edinburgh, 1994.

I am crouching in an alleyway. They can't see me here, so for the moment, I am safe. There must be hundreds of loudspeakers projecting secret messages at me and umpteen video cameras tracking every move I make. They will tie me up, soak my feet in water, and have goats lick my feet down to the bone.

Melbourne, 2003.

Nowadays, I say I am recovered, not cured. I have a job, I have my band, and I have my friend and my family. I pay my taxes and do the dishes; I'm independent. A couple of pills a day keep me slightly lethargic yet sane. I can live with that.

Mental illness is common and often devastating. In this day and age, it is a treatable condition, yet many are left untreated, misunderstood. Richard McLean is one of the lucky ones. His words and pictures give us a unique and poignant insight into a hidden, internal world.

"This is a powerful, quirky, and important book. Powerful because it goes straight to the heart of battling a psychotic illness. Quirky because of the author s abundant creativity and the delight of his illustrations. Important because it outstrips anything else I have read about schizophrenia for its insight into the nature of psychotic thinking and behaviour. McLean writes with a bold simplicity and deftly avoids melodrama and bathos." (Anne Deveson)