Breakdown and Repair
Breakdown and Repair was written by Mark Simmonds and published by Trigger in 2019. It is a book of two halves. The first half covers the events leading up to and beyond, a stress-related nervous breakdown suffered by the author when he was 38. The second half focuses on his daughter, Emily, and her 6 year struggle against anorexia nervosa, the most lethal of all mental illnesses. The entire book is also a testament to the power of resilience.
“The process of mental breakdown is rather like Chinese water torture. You start off not feeling very much pain. Little things begin to irritate and apply pressure in different places. Drip….Drip….Drip…..”
“Even though you might have found yourself trapped in the darkest of caves, there will be a ladder somewhere, an escape route to the surface.”
“Five minutes later, I was back at my computer. No change. My mind was still racing. I got up and completed a few more circuits of the room.”
Gemma Greaves
Chief Executive At The Marketing Society
Creating safe spaces around mental health issues in the workplace is at the heart of what we do. By baring his soul in an open, honest and often humorous way, Mark’s book demonstrates bravery courage and humility in bucketloads.
Leena Nair
Chief HR Officer At Unilever
The loneliness suffered by mental health sufferers is the biggest epidemic of our time. Great to see this book tackling the issue of mental health head-on, a key priority for us in the company and for myself personally. Highly engaging book and very relatable.
Geoff Mcdonald
Co-Founder of Minds@Work
The honesty and vulnerability that Mark shows in sharing his story is an inspiration to us all. Every story that we share is like sending a lifeboat out into the ocean for those who are suffering in silence. Thanks Mark, for sending out another lifeboat.