Liam Miscellaneous opens up on mental health journey

Liam Miscellaneous opens up on mental health journey

A New Zealand teenager is releasing a book about his journey from internet sensation to depression, and back again.

Eighteen-year-old Liam Miscellaneous shot to fame by posting photos of himself impersonating celebrities. With more than 2 million followers on his Instagram account, @waverider_, he was an online megastar.

International media came knocking, keen to get a piece of this new internet sensation.

But a mental health battle left him living out of his car, unable to cope with the fame.

"You always have to have an elevated level of energy and a happy persona, so I found that very draining while living out of the back of my car and being able to hold that," Miscellaneous says. "It got me in a depressive state and I found when I got comments it was a lot more personal."

He shot to fame as a 16-year-old with posts mimicking the likes of Miley Cryus and Nikki Minaj, but even though he filled other people's lives with laughter he was on suicide watch.

"It's a lot to just pick up and go 'sorry I'm gone'. It got to a point where I was in a very low mood," he says. "I was on watch by a lot of hospitals and I really found I could not cope with everything, so I just had to remove myself."

With nowhere to go he started writing a book on his iPhone from the boot of his car and 44,000 words later, he's getting ready to publish the first chapter online.

"I found that writing was a really therapeutic thing for me, really processing every problem that happened in my life," Miscellaneous says.

His book aims to educate people going through similar battles – not having anywhere to live, no money, having to deal with the harsh reality of social media and just trying to breathe.

"The book is like a modern day Catcher in the Rye, which is kind of the struggle of the transition of childhood to adulthood."

It's a transition he feels he's close to mastering.

Now with a job and a roof over his head, Miscellaneous finds comfort with his two kittens and the spiritual oasis that is his bedroom, a place he credits his grandma for helping him get to.

"She is still to this day one of my most supportive people."

As for his Instagram page, he says he plans to go back after he releases his first book, which is planned in just a few days' time.

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