Andy Behrman

Andy Behrman – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

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Explore the compelling life of Andy Behrman — American non-fiction writer, mental health advocate, and creator of Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania. Learn about his biography, career, challenges, philosophy, quotes, and the lessons his story offers.

Introduction

Andy Behrman is an American writer, mental health advocate, and public speaker, best known for his candid memoir Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania, which documents his decades-long struggle with bipolar disorder and life lived at the margins. Born in 1962, Behrman’s journey is one of extremes—mania, art forgery, prison, repeated electroconvulsive therapy—and ultimately survival, advocacy, and narrative transformation. His work has resonated not only with those touched by mental illness but with anyone seeking understanding about the fractured boundaries between creativity, suffering, and resilience.

Early Life and Family

Andy Behrman was born in 1962 in the United States.

He grew up in New Jersey (alluded to in various accounts of his memoir) and has spoken of compulsive behaviors—hand washing, counting, insomnia—that haunted him early.

His family apparently did not fully understand the depth of his internal turmoil during his youth; much of Behrman’s struggle was hidden and suppressed, and he sought therapy on his own initiative as he matured.

In later life, he became a father; he has spoken in interviews and author profiles about raising his children while navigating his mental health journey.

Youth and Education

Behrman’s formal education includes attending Wesleyan University, from which he graduated in 1984.

During and after university, he embarked on varied work experiences—public relations, creative work, writing—but also increasingly wrestled with the symptoms of what would later be diagnosed as bipolar disorder.

His early adult years were characterized by volatility: erratic behavior, intense highs, risky decisions, and a sense of living on the edge. These patterns would later form the backbone of his memoir’s narrative.

Career and Achievements

From Public Relations to Reckless Excess

Before formalizing his identity as a writer, Behrman worked in public relations in New York.

One of the more dramatic episodes involved art forgery: Behrman dealt in forged paintings (of artists like Mark Kostabi) as part of a high-stakes gamble of identity, money, and risk. five months in federal prison.

It was around this time that Behrman was formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder, ending years of misdiagnoses or inadequate treatment.

Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania

In 2002, Behrman published his signature work, Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania (Random House).

Behrman reports having undergone nineteen ECT sessions over about 18 months as part of his treatment regimen.

Electroboy has been translated into multiple languages and circulated in various global markets.

Following his memoir, Behrman has written essays and personal reflections for major publications (including The New York Times Magazine), participated in mental health forums, and spoken widely on bipolar disorder and recovery.

Advocacy & Public Engagement

Having lived through the extremes of mania and depression, Behrman now dedicates much of his energy to mental health advocacy.

He also became critical of pharmaceutical practices. For instance, he publicly criticized Bristol Myers Squibb, a pharmaceutical company, for its marketing of psychiatric medications, going so far as to produce a YouTube video titled "Abilify Kills".

Behrman has been featured in mainstream media: he has appeared on Anderson Cooper 360, NPR, and was interviewed by Stephen Fry in his documentary Secret Life of a Manic Depressive.

Though less prolific in traditional literary output, his impact lies in how his personal narrative became a tool for destigmatization, conversation, and empathy.

Historical Context & Significance

• Behrman’s work comes at a time when discourse around mental health has become more open, yet stigma remains strong. His memoir filled a niche: raw, unflinching, insider perspective from someone who truly lived mania.

• The late 20th and early 21st centuries saw a rise in memoirs about mental illness (e.g. Kay Redfield Jamison, William Styron). Electroboy stands out for its intensity and extremity of lived experience.

• Behrman’s life intersects culture, medicine, crime, and media — offering a lens on how individuals with mental illness navigate systems (legal, medical, societal).

• His criticisms of the pharmaceutical industry tap into broader debates about overprescription, drug company influence, and the ethics of mental health treatment.

Legacy and Influence

Andy Behrman’s legacy is less about a body of literary works and more about transforming chaos into testimony. He is an emblem for:

• Vulnerability as power: He made his shame and extremes into a narrative others can learn from.

• Bridging personal and public: His life is both subjective and a public intervention in mental health discourse.

• Encouraging dialogue: He has helped many feel seen—and less alone—in their psychiatric struggles.

• Challenging medical orthodoxy: His critique of drug companies invites critical thinking about treatment norms.

While he may not be a household name in literary circles, among mental health communities, Electroboy holds a revered and unsettling place.

Personality and Traits

From his memoir and public statements, some core traits and tensions emerge:

• Restless energy: Mania isn’t just a disorder for him — it was the source of creativity, daring, and devastation.

• Self-awareness and regret: He often reflects on choices with both acceptance and remorse, recognizing harm yet owning his life.

• Brutal honesty: He spares little in describing his darkest moments—a trait that both unsettles and compels.

• Advocate, not martyr: He doesn’t romanticize suffering; he uses it to fuel purpose.

• Contrarian voice: He questions authority, pharmaceutical influence, and medical complacency.

These traits combine to make him a complicated, uneasy, yet deeply human figure.

Famous Quotes of Andy Behrman

Here are some memorable lines from Behrman’s writing and interviews:

• “My job is to create that character and present him to the audience. If even one per cent of judgment creeps in, then the whole performance will be affected.”
  (Note: This quote is sometimes misattributed; whether he uses this exact phrase may vary across sources.)

• “Bipolar disorder is about buying a dozen bottles of Heinz ketchup and all eight bottles of Windex in stock at the Food Emporium on Broadway at 4:00 a.m.… It’s about blips and burps of madness, moments of absolute delusion, bliss, and irrational and dangerous choices made in order to heighten pleasure.”

• From Electroboy (on mania):

  “At my most psychotic, I imagine myself chewing on sidewalks and swallowing sunlight.”

• “For years I hid my raging mania under a larger-than-life personality … I sought a high wherever I could find one.”

• Regarding criticism of pharma: the video "Abilify Kills" is a provocative statement on drug side effects and regulatory failures.

While Behrman is less quoted than some writers, his memoir itself is a long string of quotable, arresting passages.

Lessons from Andy Behrman

1. Extreme suffering can be transformed
   Behrman shows that even in the depths of mania and psychosis, one may recover voice, purpose, dignity.

2. Narrative matters
   Telling one’s story (especially in vulnerability) can reframe pain from shame to power.

3. Critique even what helps you
   Behrman didn’t accept psychiatry or pharma uncritically — he pushed back when treatment hurt more than healed.

4. Gaps in systems hurt people
   His life reveals how medical, legal, and social systems often fail those at extremes — mental health demands structural accountability.

5. Flaws don’t disqualify advocacy
   He doesn’t present a sanitized image — his journey is jagged, yet his voice is credible precisely because it’s real.

Conclusion

Andy Behrman is not just an author; he is a witness—to mania, to medical rupture, and to the possibility of reassembly. His life is a testament to the power of language to heal the edges of what we often dismiss or ignore. In Electroboy, he refuses simple redemption or moralizing; instead, he offers unvarnished truth.

For anyone seeking deeper understanding of the mind’s extremes, or looking for courage in adversity, Behrman remains a singular figure. Dive into his writing, reflect on his struggles, and carry forward the conversation he helped begin.