You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Information to Navigating Psychological Well being by Ken Duckworth, NAMI’s medical director, is the primary e-book launched by the Nationwide Alliance on Psychological Sickness. The e-book consists of excerpts from interviews with 130 individuals who both self-identify as having a psychological sickness or have a cherished one who does, and the writer writes, “Psychological sickness and restoration are human experiences, so I think about experience-based proof an authoritative supply for this e-book.”
The e-book opens with the writer speaking about his historical past with NAMI and his household’s expertise together with his father’s bipolar sickness. All through the e-book, he comes throughout as speaking with readers on the identical stage somewhat than being an skilled speaking at readers.
The e-book is split into 4 elements. The primary half appears to be like at psychological well being circumstances and psychological well being care, the second half focuses on individuals’s experiences with their restoration journeys, the third half focuses on members of the family, and the ultimate half is dedicated to conventional consultants answering generally requested questions.
The writer acknowledges the failings with the DSM diagnostic system, and he’s additionally lifelike in regards to the issues with the psychological well being care system, or lack thereof: “The psychological well being ‘system’ all through the USA is chaotic and filled with gaps. It has lengthy been damaged and fragmented, and for those who attempt to watch for the system to be much less complicated and irritating, you can be ready a really very long time.” The e-book talks about medical mannequin and restoration mannequin methods (specializing in signs and dwelling an excellent life, respectively), and the writer encourages a each/and somewhat than an both/or method.
Matters coated within the e-book included peer assist, cultural points, turning into an advocate, and authorized points round issues like involuntary remedy, privateness, and police and felony justice system involvement. The ultimate part included an FAQ chapter with varied consultants answering questions, in addition to a chapter with clinicians and researchers addressing questions on look after melancholy, OCD, borderline persona dysfunction, trauma, co-occurring issues, bipolar dysfunction, and psychosis. It felt like plenty of disparate issues to cram into two chapters.
There was a chapter on making which means of suicide loss, and there have been a few feedback I discovered fairly fascinating. An interviewee who had misplaced a brother to suicide mentioned “The final engagement he had was with one other one that was speaking to a classmate about how you can divide homework issues, and I discovered him twenty minutes later. For those who’re fighting suicidal ideation, you’re not speaking about homework issues.” The writer, whose brother died by suicide, wrote “My brother ordered a pc monitor the day he died, and it arrived the day of his funeral. People who find themselves considering suicide don’t try this.” Besides they do; if the motion hasn’t occurred but, there’s a point of ambivalence, and duties of dwelling proceed in that house of ambivalence.
Whereas the purpose was to be complete, I discovered the e-book sort of unfocused, and I felt like that detracted from the general usefulness. I’m all for sharing individuals’s tales, however the way in which excerpts from the interviews have been pulled collectively (usually a paragraph or two at a time) created a little bit of a hodgepodge that made it onerous to really feel linked to the people. Whereas I can see the potential worth of interviewing 130 individuals and interspersing bits of their feedback all through the e-book, I believe it does make it more durable for readers to really feel like they’re actually getting a way of who these individuals are.
As you may count on from a NAMI e-book, there’s a NAMI promotional factor. Though it wasn’t surprising, I did assume it was a little bit overdone. One other factor that wasn’t surprising was optimism about restoration and tales of individuals doing rather well. There was loads of acknowledgement that issues have been onerous up to now tense, however there wasn’t plenty of current tense struggling conveyed. As a present-tense-struggler myself, I discovered it a bit unbalanced, however I believe most likely plenty of the individuals who find yourself studying this e-book will just like the restoration emphasis.
At over 400 pages, this e-book is a severe dedication. The size and the dearth of focus and construction don’t make a fantastic mixture; it tends to advertise skimming, which takes away from the ability of among the interviewees’ contributions.
I can see this e-book being helpful for members of the family who want to be taught as a lot as they’ll about what this entire psychological sickness factor is about, and that’s most likely the principle target market that NAMI is aiming for. It’s most likely going to be much less helpful for individuals who’ve been across the block just a few instances coping with their very own sickness.
You Are Not Alone is on the market on Amazon (affiliate hyperlink).
I obtained a reviewer copy from the writer by way of Netgalley.
Yow will discover my different critiques on the MH@H e-book evaluate index or on Goodreads.
