Resources for Families – Part One

My apologies if this seems like shameful self promotion but a number of Bridgeross books on schizophrenia are still in print and still selling regularly. I am only going to list those titles that still sell regularly.

After Her Brain Broke: Helping My Daughter Recover Her Sanity by Susan Inman was first published in 2010 and rapidly became a hit and, 14 years later, is still popular. Accolades for this book include:

A Must have book on Schizophrenia (Healthy Place)

Susan Inman’s memoir describes her family’s nine year journey to help her younger daughter recover from a catastrophic schizoaffective disorder.  “…one of the best accounts I have read of serious mental illness as told by a mother.” and “Highly  recommended” E. Fuller Torrey, MD author of Surviving Schizophrenia.

Recommended by NAMI in the US, EUFAMI in Europe and The Mood Disorders Society of Canada.

The Hon Michael Kirby, Chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and Ella Amir, Chair, Family Caregivers Advisory Committee, Mental Health Commission of Canada state:

“Susan Inman’s account provides glimpses of the heartache and devastation a family experiences when mental illness strikes. In a measured tone devoid of drama or embellishment, she describes her travail over nine years of her daughter’s illness, a ‘devoted and desperate’ mother.”

Daniel Kalla, MD, ER Physician, St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver and International Bestselling Author of Pandemic, Rage Therapy, Blood Lies, and Of Flesh And Blood had this to say of the book:

“After Her Brain Broke is a harrowing, heart wrenching, and ultimately triumphant story of one family’s struggle with a child’s mental illness. It’s impossible not to be moved by Susan Inman’s honest and touching account of her daughter’s sudden descent into mental health turmoil and the family’s long hard battle to overcome it. A must read for families coping with a mental illness, and a wonderful eye-opener for those of us lucky enough not to have been affected.”

Stephanie Engel, a Harvard psychiatrist said:

“a much needed book about her experience as a mother coming to grips with her daughter’s devastating mental illness…… Believing in one’s own instincts as a parent in the face of expertise, myths and prejudices is a monumental task, and Ms Inman does it with grace and conviction.”

Susan’s book has garnered 4.3 out of 5 stars on Amazon and still ranks at #167 in schizophrenia books. It is available in print and in a kindle edition.

My Schizophrenia Life: The Road to Recovery From Mental Illness by Sandra Yuen Mackay.

Julie Holland, MD author, Weekends at Bellevue: Nine Years on the Night Shift at the Psych ER., New York city

“There are precious few people who have experienced psychosis and can convey it accurately, clearly, and concisely. Sandra MacKay’s story is an important one for all of us in the mental health field –doctors, patients, and their families. It is imperative that we take in the lessons she is imparting to us all, on how to manage, and in many ways, triumph, over chronic mental illness.”

 Library Journal: “remarkably compelling…..will hold readers captive…..provides a surprisingly gripping narrative”

This too was a must have book on schizophrenia according to Healthy Place as well as being recommended by NAMI, Mood Disorder Canada and Psych Central.

Sandra was the 2012 winner of the Courage to Come Back Award from Coastal Mental Health in Vancouver and one of the Five Faces of Mental Illness in Canada in 2012.

Sandra’s Amazon rating is 3.9 out of 5 on 18 reviews and is still ranked at #185 in schizophrenia books.

When Quietness Came: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Journey With Schizophrenia by Erin Hawkes is the story of a young woman struggling to get her PhD in neuroscience at the University of BC but whose intractable schizophrenia led her to have over a dozen involuntary committals to psychiatric wards. Finally, a new drug helped and Erin was able to return to school although not well enough to complete her PhD.

Erin became a strong advocate for involuntary treatment when it is required through her public lectures and her opinion pieces in the National Post (Forced Medication Saved My Life) and the Tyee (Thank You For Medicating Me). Erin was the cover story in the Vancouver paper, the Georgia Straight.

Today, she is a peer support worker in Vancouver, a recipient of the Courage to Come Back Award, married and the mother of a daughter.

Her book has a 4.2 out of 5 rating from 62 reviews on Amazon and is ranked #120 in schizophrenia books.

Unfaithful Mind by Marion Gibson deals with coping with a spouse who develops schizophrenia.

“What had happened to our beautiful happy life? Could it really be over for us? I just wasn’t sure if our love was strong enough to keep us together. I probably believed it wasn’t.”

It was an idyllic marriage. John and Marion were high school sweethearts who married and began a successful life together. He, an internationally respected scientist in his field and she, a business woman in her family firm. With three children and finally settled in Victoria. BC, Canada after stints in Vienna and Australia, tragedy struck. Despite the eventual and probable diagnosis of late-onset schizophrenia, John and Marion struggled to hold their family together and to deal with an illness that usually strikes much earlier in life. This is their story of what happens when the mind betrays you.

Early reviews from Library Thing were highly positive. “Great little read. Like finding a diary in someone’s nightstand. Simply written but fascinating, I couldn’t put it down from the very first page. Scary in the most personal of ways. Sad, terrifying and inspiring. Most certainly worth a read.”

“For anyone who is not familiar with such happenings it is enlightening. I imagine if you are going through it it would be supportive and helpful, but this is something we should all educate ourselves about, for we never know when mental health issues will happen to us, or someone we know or love. This account is very readable and accessible – cutting through some of the myths and fear. A story that informative, fascinating and heart-wrenching”

One five star reviewer on Amazon felt validated by this book and thanked Marion for her bravery in telling her story. He/she gave the book a 5 star rating. The book’s ratings on Amazon are 4.6 out of 5 and the book ranks at number 113 for books on schizophrenia in Canada.

All Bridgeross books are available in print where ever books are sold and in a kindle version.

To read more about these books and the others that are available, visit https://bridgeross.com/ or the page on this blog on books from Bridgeross on the top left.

Stay tuned for Part Two coming in the next week.