Lethbridge author hopes to inspire with new book on his bipolar 1 disorder diagnosis – Lethbridge

Twenty-four-year-old Jason Wegner is a newly revealed writer. His guide, Manic Man: How one can Dwell Efficiently with a Extreme Psychological Sickness, is an sincere have a look at a extreme manic episode he skilled in 2017.

On the time, 20-year-old Wegner’s ten-year plan included performing Pink Floyd concert events in Tanzania, writing a novel, beginning a podcast, acquiring two PhDs, creating “Wegner’s Company,” founding two charities and turning into a trainer.

Later, he could be recognized with bipolar 1 dysfunction.

“A part of bipolar dysfunction is pressured speech, speedy pondering and simply total grandiose concepts,” Wegner mentioned.

Extraordinarily excessive power, extreme talking and fleeting ideas are different indicators of bipolar 1 dysfunction.

These concepts led Wegner to behave recklessly and placing himself in peril.

His mother and father, anxious for his or her son, took him to see Dr. Kerry Bernes, a psychologist who makes a speciality of temper problems. He remembers the primary time assembly Wegner.

“His mother and father dragged him in to see me when he didn’t assume there was something improper with him and no must see a psychologist,” mentioned Dr. Bernes. “He talked continuous for 55 minutes straight. Nobody, me or his mother or dad, may get a single phrase in as a result of he was in an enormous manic state.”

Throughout his speech, Wegner introduced that along with his excessive power state, he would turn out to be a professor of not one factor, however a professor of every part.

After that first assembly, Dr. Bernes known as Wegner’s mother and father and suggested them to confess him to hospital.

It was round this time that Wegner determined to take a vow of silence.

“I believed, no person was listening to me with my a whole bunch of social media posts a day and rants on Snapchat,” he mentioned. “The person who couldn’t shut up took a vow of silence was form of my catchphrase.”

Wegner started documenting each dialog and thought he had on his legs and garments.

He was carrying a pair of white shorts along with his writing throughout when paramedics arrived at his home on August 31, 2017. They requested how he was doing.

“I mentioned, ‘I’ve by no means felt higher in my life. I’m on superhuman ranges of intelligence and efficiency,’” Wegner mentioned. “They replied, ‘Effectively, we have been known as to inspect you as a result of some individuals are involved that you could be be a hurt to your self.’

“I might be within the hospital for 57 days within the acute psychiatry ward earlier than they launched me as a result of it took that lengthy for me to get down from the mania.”

4:33 Documentary explores bipolar dysfunction

Getting out of the hospital meant studying methods to be taught along with his new analysis of bipolar 1 dysfunction. So, Wegner went again to Dr. Bernes.

“It’s simply been unbelievable as a result of he went from fairly on the market to unbelievably switched on,” mentioned Bernes.

Writing a guide was recommended to Wegner after chatting with a category about his journey.

“Somebody within the viewers got here as much as me and mentioned, ‘Your story was actually inspiring. I feel it may give lots of people hope with this situation. Would you think about writing a guide about this?’”

Wegner approached Bernes with the concept.

“It is a story of how onerous he labored, how properly he did to beat this, that him and I believed wanted to be instructed,” mentioned Bernes, who’s listed because the guide’s co-author.

“Clinically, it’s a narrative that regularly ends in homelessness and other people giving up on folks,” he added. “So I wished the inhabitants to see that that is one thing that’s very treatable.”

Manic Man was picked up by U.Ok. writer, Cherish Editions. It hit bookstore cabinets on Oct. 14.

“I hope by me sharing my guide, Manic Man, that folks can see that we are able to speak about this and you may nonetheless stay a profitable life with any sort of sickness,” mentioned Wegner.

Immediately, Wegner is proud to say that he’s doing higher than he was earlier than his episode, one thing he calls “thrilling.” He’s working, teaching soccer and will likely be graduating from school in December. He hopes to turn out to be a trainer.

“I feel it’s vital, on this case, that folks perceive that it is a dysfunction that appears fairly scary and if not handled appropriately and shortly may be fairly scary,” mentioned Bernes. “However on the identical time, if folks attain out by studying a guide, listening to a narrative of success that that is one thing that may be handled fairly successfully and have their life again.”

Manic Man: How one can Dwell Efficiently with a Extreme Psychological Sickness is obtainable at Chapters, Analog Books Inc. and Amazon.