15 Minutes at a Time: a View from "Inside" the Box

In my mind lie a box and a silent world, that I try desperately to escape from, every moment, of every day. Matthew Mark Nichols-May 1988Fifteen minutes at a time. That is the world of Matt Nichols, a thirty-seven-year-old writer, elementary teacher, filmmaker, and parent. He is a small percentage point of a growing population living with the form of mental illness known as bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic-depression. He has also been diagnosed with ADD (attention deficit disorder), OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), SAD (social anxiety disorder), SMD (seasonal mood disorder), and if you throw in a few more letters he'd be 3-D (three-dimensional). There are many wonderful self-help and success story autobiographies that have been written to illustrate a life with bipolar disorder. Yet, none like this. Nichols uses a unique blend of "I am" poetry, sketches, anecdotes, and life experiences to show a world, which is thought from inside the box. His observations are remarkably accurate, thought provoking, and beautifully written. Topics range from the darkest issues of suicide, anger, humiliation, and failure, to the inspirations of parenting, family, nature, hope, and love. There is something for everyone. Nichols' writing engages readers to share empathy, reflection, and common experiences that weave their way throughout each of their own lives, as it relates to nineteen years of his own experiences.