Psychosis and the Art of Living

Raquel Carvalho was born in 1978 in Caldas da Raínha - Portugal and she moved to Estarreja when she was 6 with her family. She studied here most of her life and concluded her degree in Psychology in 2001. She worked as a clinical psychologist and a trainer for a few years. 18 years ago, one year after the birth of her first child, she had her first psychotic crisis and she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, later schizoaffective disorder, what led to a profound transformation in her life. Having suffered a lot in the first years after her diagnosis, today she finally feels happy and in balance. She takes care of her family, works as an administrative and volunteers at the Portuguese Hearing Voices Movement, making now her debut as an author. In her first book “Psychosis and the Art of Living” she narrates the challenges that her mental issues brought her and also shares the strategies that she used in her recovery process.