Download Surrounded by Madness for Free: A Memoir of Mental Illness and Family Secrets by Rachel Pruchno
Surrounded by Madness: A Memoir of Mental Illness and Family Secrets free download
Have you ever wondered what it's like to live with a mentally ill person? Or how mental illness can affect your family for generations? Or how you can overcome the stigma and shame of having a mental illness in your family?
Surrounded by Madness: A Memoir of Mental Illness and Family Secrets free download
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If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you should read Surrounded by Madness: A Memoir of Mental Illness and Family Secrets by Rachel Pruchno, Ph.D. This book is a powerful and honest account of how the author grew up with a bipolar mother, adopted a daughter who inherited her grandmother's schizophrenia, and faced the challenges and secrets of her family.
In this article, you will learn more about the book, the author, and the impact of mental illness on families. You will also discover how you can download this book for free and benefit from its insights and lessons.
The author's story
Rachel Pruchno is a scientist who specializes in research on mental illness and families. She is also a survivor of two generations of mental illness in her family.
As a child, she didn't understand why her mother was sometimes sad, angry, or hyperactive. She thought it was normal for her mother to lock herself in her room for days, or to spend money recklessly, or to have affairs with strangers. She didn't know that her mother had bipolar disorder, a condition that causes extreme mood swings.
As a mother, she adopted a daughter who looked like her father but acted like her mother. She named her Sophie, after her grandmother who died by suicide. She hoped that Sophie would have a better life than her mother did. But she soon realized that Sophie had schizophrenia, a condition that causes hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia.
As a wife, she tried to keep her family together and protect her son from the chaos and violence that surrounded them. She fought with doctors, lawyers, teachers, and social workers who didn't understand or help her daughter. She hid her family's problems from her friends and colleagues who judged or pitied them. She lived in fear of losing her daughter to drugs, crime, or death.
The impact of mental illness on families
Mental illness is not only a personal issue but also a family issue. It affects not only the person who has it but also their loved ones who care for them.
Mental illness can cause emotional, physical, social, and financial stress for families. It can disrupt relationships, communication, roles, routines, and expectations. It can create guilt, anger, resentment, grief, and isolation. It can also increase the risk of abuse, neglect, divorce, homelessness, poverty, and suicide.
Mental illness is also a taboo topic in many cultures and communities. It is often associated with shame, blame, fear, and discrimination. Many people who have a mental illness or a family member with a mental illness don't seek help or talk openly about their situation. They feel alone, misunderstood, and stigmatized.
Mental illness is also a systemic issue that requires better policies and practices. The current system of mental health care is often inadequate, inaccessible, unaffordable, and ineffective. Many mentally ill patients and their families don't receive the diagnosis, treatment, support, and resources they need. They face barriers such as long waiting lists, high costs, insurance limitations, lack of coordination, and poor quality of care.
The lessons learned from the memoir
Despite the hardships and tragedies that the author faced, she also learned valuable lessons from her memoir. She shared these lessons with the readers to help them cope with their own challenges and to inspire them to make a difference.
One of the lessons she learned was to accept her own secrets and heal her own wounds. She realized that she had been hiding her feelings and experiences from herself and others for too long. She decided to write her memoir as a way of confronting and releasing her pain. She also sought professional help and joined a support group to deal with her trauma and grief.
Another lesson she learned was to use her scientific knowledge and personal experience to raise awareness and advocate for mental health issues. She realized that she had a unique perspective and expertise that could benefit others who were struggling with similar problems. She published her research findings, gave lectures and interviews, wrote articles and blogs, and participated in campaigns and events to educate the public and influence the policymakers about mental illness and families.
A third lesson she learned was to inspire others to stop hiding and start talking when mental illness strikes. She realized that she was not alone in her journey and that there were many others who shared her story. She encouraged them to speak up, seek help, and support each other. She also urged them to read her book and other books that could offer them hope and guidance.
Conclusion
Surrounded by Madness: A Memoir of Mental Illness and Family Secrets is a memoir that will touch your heart, open your mind, and change your life. It is a book that will make you laugh, cry, think, and act.
If you want to read this book, you can download it for free from this link: [insert link]. You will need to enter your email address and confirm your subscription to receive the download link.
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FAQs
Q: Who is Rachel Pruchno?
A: Rachel Pruchno is a scientist who specializes in research on mental illness and families. She is also a survivor of two generations of mental illness in her family.
Q: What is Surrounded by Madness about?
A: Surrounded by Madness is a memoir that tells the story of how the author grew up with a bipolar mother, adopted a daughter who inherited her grandmother's schizophrenia, and faced the challenges and secrets of her family.
Q: Why should I read Surrounded by Madness?
A: You should read Surrounded by Madness if you want to learn more about the impact of mental illness on families, the stigma and shame of having a mental illness in your family, and the lessons learned from overcoming the hardships and tragedies of mental illness.
Q: How can I download Surrounded by Madness for free?
A: You can download Surrounded by Madness for free from this link: [insert link]. You will need to enter your email address and confirm your subscription to receive the download link.
Q: What are some other books that I can read about mental illness and families?
A: Some other books that you can read about mental illness and families are: - An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison - The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls - The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness by Elyn R. Saks - Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker - The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays by Esmé Weijun Wang
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