I’m Stuart McRobert. For 40-plus years I battled with attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that are commonly labeled as symptoms of three psychological disorders—muscle dysmorphia, orthorexia, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). The consequences were grave, and drove me to consider suicide.

But I survived, and eventually thrived, and was finally at peace with myself and my life.

In this book I explain my success story and an effective strategy for self-care. You may be able to have similar success if you’re currently battling with psychological problems—especially if they are to do with your body, eating, perfectionism, or workaholism.

My struggles started in earnest when I was 15 years old, in 1973. They had profoundly negative effects on my life. I wasn’t dealing with personality quirks. The severity of my problems increased through the 1970s and ‘80s—from my early teens through my twenties. But I never thought there may be something wrong with my mental health.

That I considered suicide during the 1990s and early 2000s should have made me seek help. But I thought seeking help was weakness. I needed to “man up,” “pull myself together,” and “get a sense of perspective.” Those shame-based clichés were first inflicted on me during my upbringing, but they didn’t help.

There were, however, tremendously good things happening in my life during the decades of mental torment. Here are some of the riches that couldn’t make me happy: Since the 1980s I’ve lived on a Mediterranean island that has a wonderful climate. I have a supportive wife and two children. We own a lovely home. And I work for myself from home and have had success as a writer and a publisher.

The scrambling of my brain during the 40-plus years before I started therapy “stole my happiness.”

Finally, in September 2015, when I was 56 years old, I admitted something was profoundly wrong with me. My initial investigation—through the mainstream or medical model—revealed I’d been mentally ill since I was a teenager.

I then took responsibility for my mental health problems and their consequences. My therapy started in January 2016. It gave me an alternative perspective on my so-called mental illness. That perspective is a non-medical model, to use my therapist’s term.

Many millions of people are trapped by mental torment. The physical effects vary, and can devastate the sufferers, those close to them, and society. Countless people self-medicate through drugs (including alcohol and nicotine), unhealthy food, work, or other addictive behaviors. Many sufferers attempt suicide, and some succeed.

With the right therapy, people with mental health problems can cope and lead rewarding lives. The therapy I’m referring to has nothing to do with psychiatric drugs and institutions. I experienced it myself with great success. It started through talk therapy with a properly trained and licensed therapist. This book includes my session notes—a real-life case history. After I finished my therapy sessions, my progress continued through what I learned from some life-changing books, which I also explain.

What I reveal in this book will help others with their self-therapy.