Beyond Madness: The Pain and Possibilities of Serious Mental Illness

by Rachel Pruchno

Reveals proven solutions for bettering the lives of people with serious mental illness, their families, and their communities. Leading scientist and gifted storyteller Rachel A. Pruchno, PhD, was shocked to encounter misinformation, ignorance, and intolerance when she sought to help her daughter, newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Turning to the scientific literature, Dr. Pruchno eventually found solutions, but she realized many others would need help to understand the highly technical writing and conflicting findings. In Beyond Madness ―part memoir, part history, and part empathetic guide―Dr. Pruchno draws on her decades as a mental health professional, her own family's experiences with mental illness, and extensive interviews with people with serious mental illness to discuss how individuals live with these illnesses, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depression. The book • presents real-world vignettes that vividly describe what it is like to experience some of the most troubling symptoms of a severe mental illness
• offers practical advice for how individuals, family members, and communities can help people with a serious mental illness
• explains how people with mental illness can find competent health care providers, identify treatment regimens, overcome obstacles to treatment, cope with stigma, and make decisions
• provides insight into programs, such as Crisis Intervention Training, that can help people undergoing mental health crisis avoid jail and get the treatment they need
• takes aim at the popular concept of "rock bottom" and reveals why this is such a harmful and simplistic approach
• advocates for evidence-based care
• documents examples of communities that have embraced successful strategies for promoting recovery
• shows that people with serious mental illnesses can live productive lives Meticulously researched and engagingly written, Beyond Madness is a call to action and a promise of hope for everyone who cares about and interacts with the millions of people who have serious mental illness. Family members, friends, teachers, police, primary care doctors, and clergy―people who recognize that something is wrong but don't know how to help―will find the book's practical advice invaluable.

Genres: Nonfiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Published April 26, 2022

Reviews

[Joseph M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is partly about me, but I feel objective in calling it a major work on serious mental illness. The author put in five years of time, effort, research and interviews. This combined with her training, personal experience and storytelling ability has resulted in a must read. I'm recomending it to everybody I know.

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her second book, Beyond Madness: The Pain and Possibilities of Serious Mental Illness, Rachel Pruchno once again writes about mental illness. Similar to her previous book, Pruchno offers a readable and engaging narrative that integrates her personal experiences with contemporary literature on mental illness, so that families, practitioners, and others can understand and help people with mental disorders. This book has it all. It is both captivating and realistic, with diverse and vivid case examples and suggestions for helping people with mental health issues. The first part describes and differentiates characteristics of schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorders. The section entitled “Genes, Environment, or Both?,” is the best presentation I have read of how biological dispositions and everyday stresses interact. Pruchno explains the diathesis-stress model, a perspective that eloquently depicts how a significant trauma or a chronic stressor can “trigger” a mental health crisis in a person who is predisposed or “vulnerable.” Developmental transitions by those who are inherently susceptible to mental illness can create intense disturbances when a particularly troubling event occurs. Pruchno emphasizes that people with mental illnesses are rarely violent, and discusses the history of hospitalization of people with mental illnesses in asylums and state mental hospitals. She then explains why so many became dissatisfied with the deinstitutionalization movement that followed. In the chapter, “New Normal,” she discusses the pros and cons of the medicalization of mental illnesses and provides valuable recommendations to families seeking mental health treatment for a loved one. Most importantly, Pruchno identifies obstacles to obtaining treatment, such as health insurance policies that inadequately cover mental illnesses, followed by useful tips for those unable to afford treatment. Finally, Pruchno’s last chapter, entitled, “Remarkable Resilience,” differs from most books because it explains that individuals who are diagnosed with a mental illness typically live stable and satisfying lives after treatment. In sum, as a professor who has taught many classes on crisis intervention, I would require my students to read this book. I have recommended it to several families and friends struggling to find the best treatments for their loved ones.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A psychology PhD, author Rachel A. Purchno has a unique perspective on mental illness. Not only did she grow up with a bipolar mom (“manic depressive,” back then), she ended up raising a daughter with the same disorder.

The book details the modern experience of what it’s like to have a serious mental illness (depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia) in the United States. And if you’ve had any sort of glimpse of what that entails, you know it’s not an easy road.

The book is written in terms lay people can easily understand. It’s very well-written. Not too dry, but not too elementary either. I learned so much new information, interesting facts about history of mental illness in this country, descriptions of different ways each of the three mental illnesses present, the stigmas attached to mental illness and what today’s consumers have to contend with when it comes to getting help. Truly unbelievable!

Sprinkled throughout are stories about real people. There are three people the author spotlights — real people who have been dealing with mental illness for decades — how it began for them and where they are now, plus solid advice for friends and family seeking to support loved ones.

Fascinating, and informative all on its own, but especially valuable if mental illness touches the life of you or someone close to you.

[Melrose's · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending of this book made me shed a few tears.

The author speaks from her experience with her daughter that has bipolar. She tackled all the serious mental illness even though she didn't quite dwell on the technical like the science behind the illness itself she went hard with the experiences of each individual's that has serious mental illness to schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder etc. She shed light in the struggle of having this debilitating illness. She discussed the healing, medication and how to handle the situation if it occurs.