Writing is hard and isolating and forces you to spend too much time in your own head, but I’m lucky to have met so many fellow writers throughout this process, whose insight and encouragement have made me feel like less of a fraud. Thank you to all of you, and to NYWF, A&U, Left Bank Literary and the Newcastle Writers Festival for welcoming me into your world.

Thank you to everyone who has ever had to listen to me rant and whinge and wail about this book—you’ve helped me to keep going. Thank you to everyone who has babysat my kids or driven them to school so I can go to yet another meeting or finish a round of edits. Thank you to my bosses, Rosemarie Milsom and Jade McIntosh, for not firing me despite all the time I’ve taken off. Thank you to Andrew Webb and Nicola Stanistreet for supporting WIRES by bidding on this book in the Authors For Fireys campaign—your generosity brought me to tears.

Most of all, thank you to my dear husband, James Ramsey, for the endless patience, support and love, and for giving me the space to give my life over to this book for the past five years, and to Jacob and Finely, for being my biggest cheerleaders—and keeping me grounded, always. This book is for the three of you, above all else. I love you more than I can say in words.

Brains are strange, difficult things and mental illness is complicated—there is no one experience, or one answer. For me, like for Caitlin, putting voice to the thing that had been niggling at me for years and years was the most terrifying but empowering thing I have ever done—but I also know I’ve been incredibly fortunate in that. If any part of Caitlin’s story resonates, the only thing I can tell you is that you are not alone, and things will get better. Keep going. It’s always worth it, I promise.