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Background Vara Adams grew up in the outer eastern suburb of Croydon in Melbourne, Australia. She has always been a bit different, preferring to listen to metal and read or write by herself rather than socialise with her peer group. Psychiatric intervention Vara’s non-conformity meant that she didn’t fit in with her peer group. During her teenage years, she started to become suicidal and after a serious attempt, psychiatry intervened. She was given a lot of different psych drugs which did nothing to ease her existential suffering – in some cases making her worse. She started to despair and was given ECT when she became increasingly suicidal. Healing and Recovery After five sessions of ECT, Vara realised that she had to decide whether she was going to die or live. Thanks to her supportive family, and the realisation that she didn’t want to end up like Ernest Hemingway, she decided to give life another go. Through finding meaningful friendships, playing the piano and writing music