Lines of Madness - Pope, Kaden

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Résumé :
Lines of Madness is a poetic and photographic journey into the world of Kaden Pope, who has struggled with severe Mental Illness for most of their life. Everyday they live with the effects of psychosis, depression and self-harm and suicidal ideations that have been present since they were a pre-teen. This collection of poetry was written while Kaden was in a range of emotional and mental states, ranging from being in the depths of psychosis to days where sanity and hope were within reach. Kaden initially wrote Lines of Madness for their own healing. Writing about these difficult topics was used as a cathartic way to cope with and fight through the fear and pain of living. Kaden is now publishing Lines of Madness and sharing it with the world in hopes that others can recognize that mental illness isn't the end of a life worth living, nor does it define the limits of what can be reached in the future. Lines of Madness does talk bluntly and vividly about topics that may be triggering to you or others. Please check in with yourself to see if you're feeling safe to read about topics such as suicidal ideation/attempts, self harm, blood, psychosis, grief (loss of parent), depression, cutting and mental health hospitalizations before reading Lines of Madness....

Biographie:
Kaden Pope (they/them) grew up Dawson Creek, BC, located in northern British Columbia with their Mom, Dad and two older siblings. Kaden left the north shortly after high school and moved around BC, until calling Vancouver, Canada home. Their mental health journey started early, but due to lack of resources in the North, help was hard to find. They began self harming at age 11 and struggled with depression until things took a turn for the worse. At the age of 23, Kaden began experiencing psychosis and paranoia. Over the next 10 years they would be in and out of hospitals, group homes and transitional housing - struggling to find stability. At their worse, Kaden spent over 10 months in hospital out of a 12-month period. They have been certified under the Mental Health Act many times, because they were deemed a danger to themself. They struggled with intense catatonia, psychosis, self harm and suicidal urges. Kaden slowly started improving with the support of family, friends, weekly therapy, medication, ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) and an inner drive to want to get better. Kaden now works at a local community college, supporting students with disabilities to learn how to use Assistive Technology. Kaden still struggles daily with depression and psychosis but has found ways to cope and has built a life worth living. This is Kaden's first book of poetry and photography, and they are excited to share their unique look into mental illness with the world.