Actor David Harewood has signed a deal to write a memoir on how racism impacts mental health.

Harewood’s book follows his critically acclaimed BBC documentary Psychosis and Me in which he embarked on a journey through his memories and to the places where he grew up, trying to understand what led to the psychotic breakdown he experienced as a young man 30 years ago. The crisis took place just two years after he started drama school in London and led to him being sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

The actor, who has starred in numerous TV series from Homeland to The Night Manager, said, “My BBC documentary made me realise that I had a lot more work to do unravelling the complexities of my breakdown of 30 years ago. Now, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, I feel encouraged to look back on my life and career with fresh eyes and…discover some answers to the question of the impact of race and racism on black mental health in my book.

“It’s time to tell it like it is. I hope in doing so that my story will help many people and shed an important and overdue light on the black experience in Britain today.”

The book, titled Maybe I Don’t Belong Here will be published in September 2021.