Chipmunka Author Interview: Katy-Sara Culling

Chipmunky is pleased to bring this exclusive interview with Chipmunka author Katy-Sara Culling. Katy is the author of Dark Clouds Gather , and Too Good For This World

Chipmunky:Why did you want to write a book?

Katy-Sara: I had read a brutally honest book about bulimia (by Marya Hornebacher) and wanted to do the same for bipolar disorder and anorexia - absolute fly on the wall honesty to prove I am not ashamed of my mental illnesses and to help sufferers out there.

Why Chipmunka and how did you find out about the publisher?

A fellow chipmunka author Stephen Drake told me about Chipmunka Publishing. I agree with the company aim of giveing a voice to the mentally ill so I was happy to be recognised and sign. "The thoughts written on the walls of madhouses by their inmates might be worth publicising.” ~ Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, critic, (1742 – 1799).

What do you feel is the biggest hurdle for people with mental health problems to overcome today?

Stigmatisation within and out of the medical profession, we are treated as stupid (I took a PhD at Oxford), below 2nd class citizens. It is worse to be mentally ill than to do anything else e.g. abuse drink/drugs which a lot of us end up doing just to cope with our symptoms making it a double problem.

How did you feel about being published?

Fantastic. It really did save my life. I can't have children because of the medicine I have to take so it is my way of leaving a legacy and as such my books are my children, each one special and beautiful in it's own way. I can go on creating.

Overall how has the reaction to your books been?

My first book was a very academic style of memoir but it sold well. What mattered to me were the messaged I got from readers since I left my email address and website address in the book. I can honestly say I got no negative comments and many positive, "thank you for having the bravery to write this book" messages. I even had emails saying my book had saved readers' lives. For me that makes it all worth it.

Are you glad you wrote your books?

Extremely glad. The first memoir was painful but cathartic, but most importantly has saved lives out there. If I have saved just one it is worth it. My second book was far easier to write and I hope when the paperback is released it will sell well because it is so much easier to read than my first book.

What do you do to relax/ what’s good for your mental health?

I listen to music. I'm working hard to lose the weight I've gained on newer antipsychotic medication so I can take up my real passion again - skiing. What is vital for my day to day mental health is sleep and minimal stress. Without those two things I can guarantee I will become manic or depressed, usually in that order.

How do you feel about the ‘cannabis causes mental health’ debate?

I think more research is needed in that I think smoking and drinking are just as dangerous and they are legal. I have an unusual standpoint when it comes to drugs: I'd legalise everything, make everything safer and get rid of drug crime overnight. That doesn't mean I think someone like me should use cannabis, I absolutely shouldn't, not with my mental health history.

How do you feel about some peoples view, that people who have mental health problems and are claiming welfare are ‘scroungers‘?

It makes me both sad and angry. I'm sure there are scroungers out there and I wish the government would catch them quickly so that more money could go to those who really need it. Those people give the rest of us a bad name. Currently I could not work more than the odd hour here and there because I get so ill and if people think of me as a scrounger it's sad - but I wont let it beat me.

What are you currently working on?

I am working on book number 3 in collaboration with a professor of psychiatry - the rest is secret!

Any advice for aspiring authors?

Never give up, keep improving your manuscript if you keep hearing "no"until one day you hear "yes."

If you could change one thing about the mental health service, what would it be?

I would make it stick to its promises and be consistent - for which it needs money. For example my therapist left suddenly and I was promised I was top of the list for a new therapist, that was 5 months ago. When I was in hospital I wasn't supposed to be allowed to leave the ward but a nurse let me out (unsupervised) and I almost killed myself. There is so much inconsistency in mental health care, I'd get rid of that.


Chipmunky would like to thank Katy-Sara Culling very much for taking the time for this interview. More information can be found on her website here:http://www.katysaraculling.com/