Title: After Her Brain Broke: Helping My Daughter Recover Her Sanity.
Author: Susan Inman
Year: 2010
Category: Personal Stories
Premise: This book focuses on the story of a family whose youngest daughter develops schizophrenia. The book is written from the mother's perspective and includes details of the programs they tried. The story starts with the daughter, Molly, being in high school and becoming more and more ill. It follows her through 9 years of her life, through hospitalizations, day programs and finally achieving her GED.
Review: This book really hit home as it compared to my own story. I was shocked to see the inappropriate guidance given to the family by medical professional and how many people are still spreading false information that mental illness is not actually an illness at all. I would have liked to have seen some writing from Molly's perspective, perhaps as an epilogue to the book. It is short, sweet and easy to read. It provides many ideas for events that families could organize among themselves to promote a feeling of understanding and education. The author shows that support groups for both the person with the disorder and support groups for their families are vitally important in surviving this disease.
Recommendation: If you have someone in your life with psychosis, this book can help you understand how other families survived the journey. The author provides helpful suggestions (like creating a one-page summary) and examples of parent/family opportunities that helped their children share how they really feel and how parents can really help.
Comments