Monique Colver’s debut memoir provides candid insights into mental illness and one woman’s quest to find joy and hope when her life suddenly flounders.

Vancouver, WA -- (SBWire) -- 06/20/2012 --When Monique Colver’s husband, Stewart Young, was diagnosed with multiple mental disorders, she was determined to keep him safe. While fighting their own inner daemons and coping with a marriage that came to a screeching halt, Colver knew that she couldn’t let him face the world alone. Now, for the first time ever, Colver shares her experiences in her debut book, An Uncommon Friendship: a memoir of love, mental illness, and friendship.

The book, published by Colver Press, tells its story through the publication of real-life diary entries, emails and narratives. Colver continues to care for her husband on a full-time basis, even through Stew’s hallucinations, isolation, rapid mood swings and the occasional psychotic episode.

“When my husband began having emotional affairs and I decided we could no longer live together, our friendship remained. Even though life was now very different for both of us, we were still partners, and I was determined to keep him safe,” Colver explains.

She continues, “The book details the progression of Stew’s illness and his recovery that, while it appeared to be so close, was always far away. It’s more than a tale of mental illness – it’s a story of friendship and what we are willing to do for those we love.”

“More than anything he was my best friend and leaving him to face the world alone is something I couldn’t bring myself to do. We laughed a lot. We had to. Everyone has their own way of coping, but ours was to laugh at the things we could laugh at, so the rest would be bearable. Or at least survivable,” Colver adds.

An Uncommon Friendship is a true story of mental illness with frank and honest lessons for both those who are familiar with mental illness and those who are not.

At a time when mental illness is a growing problem within society, Colver feels the book answers an important call for first-hand accounts of the life-changing events that anyone could experience.

“I meet a lot of people who have the experience of knowing or caring for someone with a mental illness. Sufferers often feel isolated, and their caretakers just as much, if not more so. Society often views mental illness as a ‘hush hush’ subject, when in reality people are more than open to frank and honest discussion,” Colver explains.

With an average of one suicide in the U.S Military each day, incidences of mental illness in 2012 are higher than ever before.

From anxiety and depression to schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, Colver’s book is proving a saving grace to the hundreds of people who have already read it.

Garnering rave reviews from readers around the country, it’s a ground-breaking account of the dark side of mental illness and the hope that we all need to find, and hold on to.

An Uncommon Friendship: a memoir of love, mental illness, and friendship, is published by Colver Press and is available through http://www.amazon.com.

The book’s official website can be found at: http://www.anuncommonfriendship.com

About the Author: Monique Colver
Monique Colver is an accountant, a bookkeeper and a writer, not necessarily in that order.

She was first paid for writing by America Online, but don't hold that against her. She was born, and someday she will die, and in the middle she hopes to make people happy.

Monique has written for military, business, and general interest publications. She avoids crowds but loves people, and she likes numbers but words are even better.