MARK FLEMING
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Mark Fleming Mental Health Writer
Map reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland

writing about mental health

I'm a freelance writer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. In my 20s I was sectioned under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984, spending time in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital (referred to as a lunatic asylum in the 19th century map above). During recovery I rediscovered my love of creative writing - I'd previously had fiction published and written lyrics for my post-punk band, 4 Minute Warning. 

Through the Scottish Book Trust I run writing workshops in schools and community settings - including groups for people with mental health issues, recovering addicts, and homeless individuals. I've also discussed how writing has helped my wellbeing in Barlinnie and Saughton prisons.


​I've written a biography: BrainBomb - growing up bipolar.
Mark Fleming, mental health writer
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BrainBomb - Growing up Bipolar is a biography describing how a quiet but bright and sociable lad from Edinburgh, whose band, Little Big Dig, was featured on BBC Radio 1, ended up in a straightjacket in an ambulance heading for a locked ward in a psychiatric hospital. Disturbing but also humorous and life-affirming, BrainBomb is due to be published later this year.
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Enjoyed BrainBomb, great stuff, but it moves like a rocket and it's totally mashed my heid!
Irvine Welsh, bestselling author of cult novel Trainspotting.
BrainBomb is a welcome new addition to the growing library of mental health books. Well-written and intensely personal, it takes you right into the bipolar mind. 
Alastair Campbell, ambassador for ‘Time To Change,’ a mental health campaign aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination.

latest POSTS

World Mental Health Day 2020

EXCERPTS FROM BRAINBOMB:

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Working all hours, bingeing all weekend, finding time for band practice... Burning the candle at both ends...
Nightclubbing, Lothian Road
After discharge from psychiatric hospital, dosed to the eyeballs on meds, a trip to a Lothian Road nightclub becomes a nightmare...
Interview with Tom Chapman, founder of suicide prevention charity The Lions Collective.
Tom Chapman
Musical Therapy: top 5 of songs influencing my childhood and adolescence.
Sex Pistols Holidays in the Sun, picture sleeve

brainbomb wordcloud

I used a free Wordcloud generator to list all the musical references in my biography, BrainBomb. A clump of 70s-90s pop culture!
Wordcloud for music mentioned in BrainBomb

from the archives

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Image by Evie Ausley
'Into That Darkness,' my article from Issue 107 of The Leither, a flashback to 1976, when Jim'll Fix It was primetime viewing, and the senior scouts warned us which scoutmasters never to be alone with.

the clash: 40 years since that ​stunning debut

The Clash swept through my teenage musical tastes in glorious hurricanes of anger and melody.
The Clash, photo for iconic cover of debut album
The Highland Clearance, John Prebble
The Highland Clearances, John Prebble
'The Legacies of Empire,' my article from Issue 110 of The Leither, about the suppression of the native British Isles languages by the English majority.
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  • Home
  • About me
  • BrainBomb
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • Articles
  • Music Therapy
  • My bands
    • 4 Minute Warning
    • Desperation A.M.
    • Little Big Dig
    • Axidents
    • Noniconic
  • Contact