Life in Limbo

This memoir is a frank, moving and at times humorous account of Matt Barwick’s struggle with infertility, and diagnosis with bipolar disorder triggered by family suicide. At twenty-nine, still childless after a year of trying, Matt and his wife Ali realised that starting a family was not going to be the ‘cinch’ it appeared to be for most of their friends. The couple start a crash course in conception from a straight-talking fertility guruand the journey towards more serious medical intervention begins. Already feeling the strain of infertility and the recurring cycle of disappointment, Matt’s world comes crashing down when he loses his only brother to suicide, resulting from depression that was largely hidden from the world. Shortly after his brother’s funeral, the unthinkable happens, and Matt finds himself in a mental facility dealing with his own diagnosis of bipolar and beginning a battle with the demons of depression that will test him, his marriage, relationships and career; creating an uncertainty that threatens to destroy everything. Told with refreshing honesty, Life in Limbo offers a rare perspective on the topics of infertility, family suicide and mental illness diagnosis from the perspective of a self-deprecating, young, Australian man. Keen to remove the stigma attached to mental illness, particularly for men, and bring the subject out into the open, Matt’s story is an inspiring message of courage, hope and unwavering love.