Joseph S. Fusaro credits music, writing, and photography with helping him relieve his psychosis and depression while living with bipolar 1 (manic depression) in his late teens and 20's. He found that he was able to ground his thoughts with art. He was able to slow down all of the confusion and racing thoughts. Then he would take photos of things that gave him hope, and write poetry to the photos in an attempt to replace the trauma of his attempted suicides and many hospitalizations. The last 4 years he has been busy putting the pieces back together, He always makes sure to add that he is "gratefully and patiently learning to live again." He is relentless in his efforts to change the public conversation surrounding mental health, making it an open, more educated, and less opinionated conversation.
Joe has recently published 4 poetry books, a guide to recovery from mental illness, and a music journal of his experiences with psychosis from 2008-2010. He was a cast member in the 'This Is My Brave' New York City show in October of 2015 and looks forward to using his experience with mental illness recovery to help others realize there is hope for a positive and productive future after diagnoses. You can find Joe's poetry, blogs, music, and links to his social media at www.unreadletters.com
When he is not writing, Joe Hosts an open Mental Health Chat on Twitter called #BraveChat. #BraveChat is the first Wednesday of every month @ThisIsMyBrave.
He also speaks at High Schools and Colleges about his experiences with NAMI (National Alliance Mental Illness).
Joe does a workshop about using creative writing as a tool for recovery. If you are interested in this workshop for your school, hospital, business, etc, you can contact Joe at godspeedkid@gmail.com.
All Books, Articles, Poetry, Music, and Photos are Copyright of Joseph S. Fusaro and may not be used or redistributed without his written consent.
it is going to take a team effort
Below is a list of organizations that helped me find support and other's that I could relate to when I felt like no one in the world understood me. These sites are not for emergencies. In the case of an emergency call the Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, 911, or your local emergency phone number.
