"To Fly Again: Portrait of a Bipolar Life", by Rachelle Hasnas, LCSW

   ​“To Fly Again:  Portrait of a Bipolar Life”, by Rachelle Hasnas, LCSW is a very emotional, heart wrenching memoir about a mother’s loss of her son by "accidental overdose" due to his mental illness.

   Joshua struggled his whole life with Bipolar Disorder.  Once he reached high school, he began self-medicating with drugs in order to quell his mental turmoil.  Rachelle, his mother and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, attempted time after time to get Joshua the appropriate medical care but each time he was release after brief stays and before he was stabilized.

   Joshua wrote poetry which strongly reflected his moods, state of well-being, and his mental struggles.  His poems are scattered throughout the book and gives the reader an opportunity to feel his mental anguish.

   Further into his mental decline, Joshua, on numerous occasions, got mixed up with the law.  Ultimately the judicial system and health care system failed Joshua which resulted in his early death.

   Rachelle’s spirituality became her saving grace to help her cope with the loss of her son.  After two amazingly spiritual experiences she knew that Joshua lived on and those gifts gave her peace.

   In addition to Joshua’s story, Rachelle Hasnas includes an educational component to the memoir which is from The National Institute of Mental Health.
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   “To Fly Again:  Portrait of a Bipolar Life” is definitely emotional but Rachelle Hasnas, LCSW provides the reader with hope for many with a mental illness and their loved ones as well as solid information on Bipolar Disorder for those looking to gain knowledge.