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Andy Behrman is surely one of the owners of a life that can only best be described as shocking. Born in 1962, Andy had an undiagnosed case of manic depression. He managed through life with it by way of his larger-than-life personality.
What this led him though was a life filled with whatever high he was feeling at the moment. He changed jobs as often as people change their outfits. Among the occupations he has had over the years include being a filmmaker, art dealer and hustler. Basically, whatever job that made him feel like a cartoon character, as well as invisible and bright.
Andy lived a carefree life, if you would like to call it. He hopped on planes every so often. He’d be in Paris one time then he’d go on over to Tokyo and again, without moment’s notice, he’d be off to New York.
Andy Behrman – Successful Author and Mental Health Advocate
His shopping expenses too were highly extravagant. He didn’t shy away from blowing $25,000. Not just that, he stayed awake during nights and explored the underworld of nightlife in whatever city he found himself in – be it Manhattan or any other. He did this in search of the perfect high.
However, things started to fall apart when Andy started dabbling in art forgery. He suddenly found himself embroiled in a scandal that became food for the media in New York. Of course, he spent time in jail for his dealings and also wound up being put under house arrest.
This period signaled a moment where he could no longer escape.
Misdiagnosed … Many times
The thing is, Andy was never properly diagnosed for the disorder that he had. More than eight doctors couldn’t get it right. And finally, when his chronic illness was diagnosed correctly, it’s the treatments this time that failed. Everything that was given or administered to him were not successful at all.
He ingested lots of antidepressants as well as tranquilizers, which he felt made his mind lose traction.
Growing up in New Jersey, Andy described his childhood as happy, but one where he wasn’t comfortable in his own skin. He was a precocious boy, but he felt “different.”
He always had this need to wash his hands a dozen times a day. He stayed awake at night just counting cars that go by. Despite all this, his family never thought anything wrong with him. By the time he was 18 and bound for college, he decided to see the first of many therapists.
Electrotherapy
Being given so many treatments without a positive result in sight, Andy looked to a final resort: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). He underwent nineteen electroshock treatments that spanned about a year and a half.
These series of treatments effectively ended his 20 years of undiagnosed and out-of-control bipolar disorder.
Recovery and a book
While convalescing from four months of ECT treatments, Andy wrote his book [easyazon_link asin=”0812967089″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”shockpublishi-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania[/easyazon_link]. He wrote this because he felt that he couldn’t relate to other books about bipolar disorder.
The book not only chronicled his battle with the illness, but it also traced his career in dealing forgeries of Mark Kostabi’s artworks. It reads like a chronicle of a life he lost. Electroboy is both hilarious and harrowing. It depicts a man that is unable to do anything about his desire to just consume. It’s an unforgettable memoir that delights, while at the same time sheds light on mental illness.
Mental Health Advocate
Andy serves as a mental health writer and speaker who has traveled to different parts of the US and Canada to speak to mental health organizations. He is also involved in speaking with support groups, college audiences and book clubs.
His book, Electroboy, has been translated to several languages and is distributed across the world – New Zealand, Austalia, Hong Kong, Latin America and South Africa.
Andy has been featured by several notable media outlets such as The New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, BBC and several mental health publications and websites.
Mania-Free
Behrman is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Now mania-free, he lives in Lost Angeles and has a wife and two daughters.
Andy Behrman will be guesting on a Google Live Hangout with Philippe Matthews on August 8. So, mark your calendars for that.
Get to know more about Andy through these pages:
