‘I can tell you exactly the day it all went wrong — the day my mum attacked my dad with a kitchen knife. In those few, short seconds, a black hole opened up in my life and I fell right in.’
Tina McGuff’s life was perfect — or so she thought. Living in Dundee with her devoted parents and three younger sisters, she was a happy, healthy and confident thirteen-year-old. But all that changed in one horrifying act of revenge and Tina’s world collapsed overnight. Terrified, lost and confused, she turned to the one thing she thought she could control — food. And so began the biggest fight of her life.
Tina’s life-or-death struggle with anorexia, addiction and mental illness is told with devastating honesty in this extraordinary account of a girl at war with herself. Through her years in and out of psychiatric wards, Tina takes us to some of the darkest places of the mind. But in the end her courage, faith and sheer determination win out. It took Tina seconds to snap and a lifetime to recover — but today, as a passionate campaigner for mental health, she is living proof that there is always a reason to hope that one day, things will get better.
Seconds to Snap is a brave, heart-wrenching story that is also inspiring, enlightening and full of hope.
Praise for Seconds to Snap:
‘Brutally honest … A valuable insight' — The Lancet
‘This is an important, searingly honest book that will change lives. Tina is one of the bravest women I've ever met.’ — Lorraine Kelly, author and broadcaster
‘Tina McGuff fully embraces the challenge of unpacking childhood trauma in Seconds to Snap. With her incredibly authentic storytelling, Tina reveals how she navigated through immense adversity with great strength, honesty, and tenacity.’ — Coach Mike Bayer, New York Times bestselling life coach

Seconds to Snap – One Explosive Day. A Family Destroyed. My Descent into Anorexia