Abstract
Duncan Monaghan is 33 years old and in his second year of an Arts degree in Creative Writing. He is a published poet and is currently producing a music CD. Duncan has a history of bipolar disorder which was diagnosed when he was nineteen: “It worried me at first a lot. It played on my mind constantly. I felt different from everybody else – I did not understand what was happening to me.” Drawing on his life experiences, Duncan has been enhancing his recovery through creativity – in poetry, lyrics, music and story. “Life for me was a constant battle of relying on medication and appointments with my case manager…until I realized I could combine my recovery with my passions as a tool to use as an outlet to many of the “mind traps” I so often found hindering my own recovery.” Duncan is Aboriginal and has experience of the mental health systems in most states and territories and now lives in Brisbane. This is a shortened version of his presentation at Creating Futures 2010.