Children’s author says he resorted to substances to combat bipolar disorder
Robert Munsch, the Canadian author of children’s classics like the Paper Bag Princess and Angela’s Airplane, has admitted to a history of drug and alcohol abuse—dependencies he said stem from bipolar disorder. In an interview with Global television, the Guelph, Ont.-based writer said he’s attending Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous and has been clean for four months. The 64-year-old said he started on cocaine only about five years ago, as he struggled with a mental illness that created the manic persona children loved to watch during readings. “My public person was so crazy and my private person was so depressed and unhappy,” he told Global.