To write this book I utilized my journals written in the hospital and the early years of recovery. I also relied upon hospital records, letters to and from friends, family, and colleagues, doctors’ and therapists’ notes and reports, legal depositions, and, in some cases, interviews with people mentioned in the book. Richard’s perspective was created through his own writing on various subjects, as well as interviews on subjects I might not have otherwise known. I have changed the names of many people in the book, but not all of them, and in some cases I modified identifying details so as to preserve anonymity. I omitted some people and events when it had no impact upon the veracity or substance of the story.