Voodoo Princess: Interview with Dr. Patrick Mbaya, author of My Brain is Out of Control

Publication Date: September 2016
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Formats: Ebook
Pages: 76
Genre: Biography/Autobiography
Tour Dates: September 25-October 20

Although Dr. Patrick Mbaya’s illness caused a lot distress and nearly took his life, the emotional symptoms of the depression he developed helped him understand and empathize with patients and how they feel when they become ill. In My Brain is Out of Control, Mbaya, fifty-five and at the peak of his career, shares a personal story of how he suffered from a brain infection in 2010 that caused loss of speech, right-sided weakness, and subsequent depression. He tells how he also dealt with the antibiotics complications of low white cell count and hepatitis. He narrates his experiences as a patient, the neurological and psychiatric complications he encountered, how he coped, and his journey to recovery. Presenting a personal perspective of Mbaya’s illness from the other side of the bed, My Brain is Out of Control, offers profound insight into battling a serious illness.

Is there one thing you would give up if it meant you would be a better writer?

Majority of my time is spent on my job as a psychiatric medical doctor. My job gives me a lot of satisfaction, getting people better (99.9%, nearly!), and it will be difficult to give it up at the moment. However, when I do retire, I will have plenty of time.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

No, I don’t.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about mental health?

As one cannot see what is wrong, as it is the case with physical illnesses, some people find it difficult to accept or believe someone is unwell. It is also difficult as mental health illnesses, may present like abnormal or even normal behaviours (like sadness), to believe that indeed the individual is ill. These illnesses are due to a chemical in balance in the emotional (limbic) brain. Treatment work by balancing back these changes. Hopefully in the near future we will have tests to confirm the clinical diagnosis of these illnesses!

What makes your book stand out from the crowd?

It is unique, as I am a medical doctor specialising in psychiatry, who suffered from a mystery brain infection, discussed from both a patient’s and doctor’s perspective. I discuss the clinical conditions I suffered from, in clear and simple terms to enable people (even those without any medical background), to understand.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like to listen to music or watch my son make music in the studio (he is a producer, writer, and a multi-instrumentalist).

Dr. Patrick Mbaya is a medical doctor specializing in psychiatry. He is a consultant psychiatrist and honorary clinical lecturer in psychiatry at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom. He has a special interest in mood and addiction disorders.