Former local reporter reveals raw journey with bipolar disorder in new book

Hunter Tickel announced the release of his self-help book, Two Minds: Life Through a Bipolar Lens, a candid and personal account of his experiences living with bipolar disorder.

Drawing from his life, Tickel takes readers inside the challenges, struggles, setbacks, triumphs and personal growth that have defined his life. Two Minds, a self-published book, explores what it can feel like to experience life through competing emotional and mental states while offering hope. The target audience includes people with mental illness and their family and friends.

Tickel survived a suicide attempt that resulted in a below-knee amputation. He has battled alcoholism and is currently seven years sober.

Tickel brings years of writing human-interest stories to this deeply vulnerable project. Rather than only discussing bipolar disorder from a clinical perspective, Two Minds focuses on lived experience.

“My hope is that people who have experienced similar struggles will feel less alone, while family members and others gain a better understanding of what someone living with bipolar disorder may experience,” Tickel said.

An additional goal of Two Minds is to make a positive impact beyond the pages of the book. All proceeds from the book will go toward the college fund established for his two children. Two Minds will be available through Amazon.com beginning October 10.

Tickel, who has a journalism degree from the University of Cincinnati, has written more than 2,000 published articles spanning a decade as a sports reporter. His stops include Pioneer Press, a division of the Chicago Tribune; Chicago Sun-Times; Dubois County Herald; Dubois County Free Press; Terre Haute Tribune-Star; and more.