Writer Tony Caterina wanted to tell his story to help and inspire others. Caterina has a diagnosis of schizophrenia and has struggled with drug addiction and overdose. He believes his experiences will be relatable to those who have dealt with mental illness in themselves or with a loved one.
“After having experienced a mental breakdown due to drug addiction,” writes Caterina, “I made some substantial, positive changes to my life. It was time to stop depending on self-prescribed chemicals and finally acknowledge that I was in need of professional medical care to treat my schizophrenia. The decision was inevitable, as I had spent enough time in hospital psychiatric wards, actually three times, before I was willing to admit that I have a physical and mental illness. Doctors describe my illness as paranoid schizophrenia and I have now finally admitted that, for me, it is best to be treated by psychiatric experts.”
Caterina says that he wrote Autobiography of a Schizophrenic , in part, to “clear the ghosts inside of my mind. When I began to recover from my last mental crisis, I made a decision to increase my level of education and fluency by reading everything, including classics and even the occult. The most important written works, their styles, and cadences have inspired me to write.”
Kirkus Reviews called Katerina a “relevant and talented author who is influenced by the classics.”
Caterina is a writer, painter, and musician and has written more than 50 short stories. He has 12 unpublished books of novels and short stories and is now working on a book of novellas. He designed and painted the cover art of two of his books. ◊
You can buy the book here.
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