Up and Down the Totem Pole

In 1993, Rosemarie Booler was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 27 after walking down the street naked carrying a bible. Up and Down the Totem Pole is made up of the trues stories behind some of the events that have shaped Rosemarie into the person she is today. Following her diagnosis, Rosemarie learnt how hostile people became when they didn’t know how to deal with the situation. Friends and family shut her out, she was no longer able to work and as a single mother her life became very difficult, very quickly. Following four close bereavements in 1998, Rosemarie’s 6-year-old daughter was sent to live with her father and her life became void of all meaning. With a combination of grief and depression, she began making notes of life’s trivial ups and downs; enormous amounts of solitude and loneliness, alcohol and drug additions that led to amazing highs and devastating lows and finding faith to guide her through the darkest times. Now a born again Christian, Rosemarie still lives alone on the same street in Market Harborough. In her memoirs, she has put together some of the very amusing adventures her mental health has sent her on, as well as some of the more traumatic experiences she encountered on her journey through life. Up and Down the Totem Pole is a moving story that will resonate with readers who suffer from the same condition or anyone who has experienced substance abuse. It also provides an interesting and eye-opening read for those working in professional health care.