I’m Not Crazy, I’m Just A Little Unwell by Leigh Hatcher

Leigh Hatcher’s autobiographical book focuses heavily on his experience of the much-maligned Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Hatcher’s account of the physical pain, exhaustion and suffering involved left me with little doubt that this mystery illness simply hasn’t been linked to its physical cause yet by medical science.

Hatcher speaks forcefully about the damage done by well meaning people who thought what he was going through was “all in the mind”. In doing so, he does much to raise awareness of the physical nature of CFS; but unfortunately rebuttal will do little to de-stigmatise mental illness, which is every bit as real to those who suffer from it. To Hatcher, the suggestion that his illness could be psychological in nature was hugely destructive and stigmatising. We are still far from fully understanding the inner workings of the human mind, and I found it interesting that Hatcher had such a strongly reaction to … Continue reading…