FROM OUT OF A DARK CORNER

About the Book

From Out of a Dark Corner is a true story of the work I did in a halfway house for young people with major mental illness. I organized a musical group there and met a man with a severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, (O.C.D.), who had a beautiful voice and was living in the facility. He had been in and out of state hospitals for over twenty years, taking medication, which caused him to act very drugged. He was erroneously diagnosed with schizophrenia from several psychiatrists over the years and was destined to live a terrible, “institutionalized” life. I had just graduated Florida International University with a degree in psychology and applied whatever knowledge I had about mental illness in order to help him. At the time I was married to another man but later divorced him because I fell in love with “Marty”. After reading Dr. Leonard Cammer’s book, Freedom from Compulsion, I diagnosed Marty’s problem correctly and spent years helping him with his repetitive rituals and excessive hand washing. I was also able to help him relive his childhood with his mentally sick mother until he got much better. I chose the title, “From Out of a Dark Corner” because “Marty” spent day after day sitting in his bedroom, in a corner, not doing much of anything except attending the halfway house. He also helped me to leave my “dark corner” because of the fear I had that I, too, would suffer “psychotic” episodes like my poor mother did. Today “Marty” doesn’t take any medication for “O.C.D” and lives a “normal” life, socializing with my friends and singing professionally.

About the Author

Evelyn Roth wrote this book with the hope that people who read it have a deeper understanding of mental illness, particularly the problems associated with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, (O.C.D.) which affects over two million people in the United States. This book was based on a true story of her work at a halfway house for young people with major mental illness. Her goal in writing this book was to raise awareness of the misunderstanding and stigma of mental illness, particularly (O.C.D), and the hope that people can recover to lead so-called normal lives. Ms. Roth lives and works in Miami, Florida, and has been married to “Marty” for over l5 years. She dedicates this book, with love and pride, to him for “finally climbing the mountain”. The author also gives thanks and acknowledgment to Dan Wakefield, a professor at Florida International University, for his assistance in writing this book and for his encouragement throughout the many years that she has been a student in his class.