Bipolar Disorder in Truth

Long before you have reached the final period on the final page, Andy Hogan has become your son or your brother. His eloquent writing skills and his sense of humor make this book very readable. Masterfully Andy makes you part of his early adulthood where excellence is the standard and obstacles are there to be conquered. As his goals become more and more ambitious and only perfection in all things at all times seems acceptable, you wonder expectantly where life will take this remarkable young man. Ignorant of his dangerous "inheritance," he pushes towards accomplishment until mental illness shatters his promising life. The reader will hardly forget the anguish and horrors Andy's book describes both from his recollections and from those who were present during the episodes. Andy's life will remain overshadowed by his illness, but as his impressive book proves, a meaningful life can be found because mental illnesses are medically treatable.
- NAMI Utah (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill)

Stigma in our society viciously labels sufferers of mental illness as "hopelessly ill people who walk the streets alone talking to themselves that are beyond hope and help." Andy Hogan's book dispels these myths. Andy wasn't a lonely, "crazy," homeless person. On the contrary. In high school, he was popular, athletic, and loved by a beautiful girl. On his volunteer service mission to Taiwan he was highly successful and well respected. No one ever suspected a mental breakdown of such intense magnitude could strike someone like him. It did. It does. In my profession I have seen many highly regarded youth who secretly suffer deep depression or who, unexpectedly to all, fall prey to delusions or extreme mania. Such would do well to read Andy's story. The lesson they will learn dissolves the myth that mental illness is untreatable and hopeless. When Andy finally faces his bipolar disorder humbly and honestly, he allows himself the help of professionals, proper and consistent medication, and the unyielding love of his parents and wife. There he finds hope, relief, and stability.
- Richard Davidson MD, Board Certified Psychiatrist

I am so glad that Andy has the courage to open himself up to the world by telling his personal story. I love the way he writes and describes life with nature, music and his own creativity. I have read this entire book, and believe it would be a great read for anyone who desires to understand what really goes on in the mind of someone suffering with chronic bipolar disorder, and how he learned to live a fairly normal life despite it.
- Chad Lewis, Retired Philadelphia Eagles' (Three Times Pro Bowl) Tight End