About Me

I’m Christiane Wells, author of Magical Shrinking. Also author of “No Guarantees: A Young Woman’s Struggle to Overcome Drug and Alcohol Addiction.” It was published under my maiden name, Chris Campbell, in 1993 by New Discovery Books, a division of Macmillan. (New Discovery doesn’t exist anymore, and it’s out-of-print).

I prefer to be called Chris. I live in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, with my husband, Jason, and our son, Jack. Jack is five, and the greatest kid ever. He’s amazing. Jason is also amazing. We’ve lived here in Lone Tree and Highlands Ranch for 6 years now. Upon moving here, I attended the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver, and have my Master of Social Work degree with a concentration in child welfare. Here’s my little family:

I’m originally from Milford, Connecticut. I lived in West Haven, CT, between the ages of 7 and 15. Then it was back to Milford. After graduating high school in 1991, I went to Arizona State University in Tempe for 2 years. Back to Milford.

Serious mental health issues began to interfere with my social and occupational functioning. I’d already been diagnosed with bipolar disorder at this point, but hadn’t been on medication. I started taking medication again after serious bouts of depression and mania. I also decided smoking crack regularly might help. It didn’t.

Took off from Milford and drove to Tempe with a friend. Two serious suicide attempts. Back to Milford.

This is when my intense psychiatric treatment for bipolar disorder began. Age 21. First time in the mental hospital. Lots of medications begin here.

Then I moved with my parents to Las Vegas, Nevada. A year after we moved there, I was accepted for Social Security Disability for bipolar I disorder and panic disorder. I then had several quick hospital admissions for mania, depression, and addiction.

I lived in Las Vegas/Henderson, Nevada for 4 years. Then I moved, again with my parents, to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, first we lived in North Hollywood, or NoHo, as it’s affectionately called. Seven months later I met Jason, we began dating, and I moved into his apartment in Beverly Hills. Age 27. Check it out:

We lived in just that small structure behind the main apartment building. Structure is a fancy word for shack…

Next we moved to Woodland Hills, CA, where we lived happily for 4 years. Got married. I went to school. Got my B.A. in Sociology from California State University, Northridge. Age 32.

Then it was on to Denver.

So that’s the geographic story of my life, with a touch of when I began to have severe mental health problems, when I met my husband, and got academic degrees.

Now that I’ve finished Magical Shrinking, I’m trying hard to promote and sell it. I’m in school to get my Ph.D in Psychology. I don’t want to be a therapist and am not in the clinical track. I’m in the general educational psych track to become a professor and researcher.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

chris@christianewells.com

Here’s our neighborhood!

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***Disclaimer: While I do have a master of social work degree, I am not offering any professional or medical advice on this site. Posts and comments should not be construed as recommendations for mental health treatment in any way. They are just my experiences and the experiences of others. If you’re considering suicide or have a plan, you should contact 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.***

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