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Andy Behrman is the author of Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania, a book that was published a few years ago and sold many thousands of copies world wide. Since its release, Andy has been very active as a public speaker on bipolar disorder, promoting his book and developing Electroboy as a feature film with a major Hollywood production company. In addition, his wife recently gave birth to a baby girl and together they live and work in Los Angeles. To read more about Andy Behrman, visit www.newyorkcityvoices.org and do a search with his name and be sure to visit www.electroboy.org where you can follow Andy’s life and communicate with him directly.

NYC Voices: Describe for us what it is like to live in a fast-paced, highly stressful city like Los Angeles with a fast-paced, highly stressful work agenda, and at the same time maintain your sanity in light of having bipolar disorder.

Andy: First of all, I find Los Angeles quite a bit less stressful than New York City. Although I live close to what you'd call the city, I live in the hills and our backyard is woodsy and there's no noise at all. You can see the stars at night. It's peaceful. And although I keep a busy schedule, it's structured and I take breaks; something I never did before. I'm not awake anymore for 72 hours at a stretch.

NYC Voices: How is your wife and daughter, what are they doing and how is the family as a unit?

Andy: Both my wife and daughter are doing well. My wife works in the entertainment industry and we both juggle work with being parents quite well.

NYC Voices: What are your current projects and what is the impact of these projects on the family in terms of your time, energy and stress level?

Andy: My next book is an anthology titled Money Changes Everything, which will be published by Doubleday in January 2007. I'm also working on a new book which will be published in January 2009 that I’m extremely excited about. It's finally time that the mental health community become aware of this book which will be released in about two and a half years and I’m sure it will be very controversial. I'm continuing to work on the adaptation of Electroboy and have my fingers crossed that we’ll have a start date by the end of the summer…I continue to travel across the country speaking to college students, mental health support groups and mental healthcare professionals about a wide variety of topics within the subject of mental health. There's still plenty of time for family and often we travel together.

NYC Voices: Does your family ever feel neglected by you with your busy schedule?

Andy: There are a couple of nights a month when we’d all love to be together, but I’m out on the road speaking, but the cell phone is a great invention. And web cams are fun too when you have a toddler.

NYC Voices: How do you maintain your mental stability and focus in lieu of the many challenges of your environment?

Andy: I relax—something I never did before—by spending time with friends, going out, going to the movies, reading, grilling, traveling and just doing regular things that keep me calm, like balancing my checkbook and washing my car.

NYC Voices: Do you think just any mental health consumer with a dream can achieve what you have achieved thus far?

Andy: Tough question. Yes. But I’ve worked extremely hard to overcome obstacles that I thought were absolutely impossible even five years ago. And I work on it every day. I'm in touch with my illness every day. I'm vigilant about my meds and about not pushing too hard anymore. I was always an overachiever and a fighter and I don't think I’ve lost that part of my personality. When I first started writing about my experiences with bipolar disorder, I never visualized a book, a film, or a career as an advocate and speaker. It just fell into place.

NYC Voices: Why don't you just settle with a more relaxed family life and maybe open a local business or something less exciting than closing movie and book deals?

Andy: Like a bakery? I'd love that. If I could make people happy with brownies and cupcakes, I’d do it. But I know myself. I’d want to create a franchise of the best bakeries across the country. And honestly, I feel like my message of hope about getting rid of the stigma of mental illness and recovery is more important than the best brownie I could ever create.

NYC Voices: How is your physical health?

Andy: Incredible. My cardiologist told me that I have the heart of a thirty-one-year-old (I’m forty four), my cholesterol is extremely low and I watch my diet very carefully and swim every day, do Pilates and play squash.

NYC Voices: What do you practice that eases your mind and relaxes your heart?

Andy: Reminding myself how grateful I am every day and blaring the radio when I drive, but mostly because that makes me feel free.

NYC Voices: What is Andy Behrman’s definition of freedom?

Andy: Having my own key to where I live, as I’ve been locked up in both prison and psychiatric hospitals.

NYC Voices: Before you die, what do you want to leave behind with the rest of humanity?

Andy: A recipe for the best brownie….Seriously, I don't know. I haven't figured that out yet. That's why I wake up every day.

NYC Voices: What is Andy Behrman’s definition of mental illness?

Andy: Not wanting to wake up every day because of being overwhelmed by mental illness or the horrendous state of affairs that the Bush administration has created for people all around the world.