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madness

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madness

As the title “When madness comes home: help and hope for families of the mentally ill” suggests this book targets individuals who have siblings, parents, or partners who are suffering from Mental illness (Secunda, 1997). Victoria Secunda, a journalist, writer, and lecturer wrote this book in the year 1997. The book provides a much-needed look at how mental illness affects friends and families of the mentally ill who the author refers to as “other victims” (Secunda, 1997). Drawing from her experience of living with a sister with mental illness and those of “other victims, Secunda explores various aspects of mental illness including anxiety disorder, depression, schizophrenia, and substance abuse.

There are numerous families in the world today who are trying to cope with the extraordinary difficulties of living with patients with mental illnesses that most people would find challenging to handle. Secunda (1997) goes to great lengths to reveal the difficulties that spouses of mentally ill patients go through in marriages. She explores the kind of childhoods that offspring and siblings of the mentally ill have. Secunda (1997) reveals how understanding this illness’s symptoms and how helpful it would be for individuals to share their feelings at support group meetings is helpful. The writer divulges how important it is for family members to accept and acknowledge the existence of the illness.

Secunda (1997) writes in accessible prose which makes her writing easy to read and understand. Her writing is one that people can believe given that she draws from her life example having grown up with a sister who was mentally ill. The experiences of those she interviewed generally validate her arguments. Her work is commendable given that she went out and collected first-hand data on what it is like to live with a family member that is mentally ill. Reading this book many will have moments of great revelation. Secunda (1997) quotes many professionals and while these quotes support her ideas, some may find it hard to pull all the information from all the doctors quoted such as Fuller Torrey, Michael Rutter, Robert Plomin, Judith Lewis e.t.c. Aside from these, one cannot help but appreciate the extensive research conducted and the frequent notes provided.

Many researchers have taken on to investigating the mental illness, how it comes about, who can get affected, prevention, and treatment e.t.c. however, few people have explored how this illness which has been on the rise in recent years affects family ties. “When madness comes home: help and hope for families of the mentally ill” is a book that clinicians will find helpful. Secunda (1997), besides drawing attention to patients diagnosed with mental conditions be it genetic or less defined, stresses on addressing the needs of those living with these patients. Clinicians can use this book to understand how they can help and address the needs of the children, spouses, or siblings of those with mental illness.

Clinically this implies that besides paying attention to patients, psychotherapists also ought to help family members of their patients to develop coping skills. Psychotherapists working with mentally ill patients ought to help the “other victims” acknowledge their feelings of hopelessness which comes with living with individuals who are mentally ill. Support groups which Secunda recommends can be established to help family members cope with living with a mentally ill spouse, parent, sibling, or even child (Secunda, 1997). The thorough work done in this book can guide other therapists in their work with these “other victims” just as much as it can help the target audience.

The feelings of helplessness that come with having a family member ill mentally need to be addressed by therapists and solutions established (Secunda, 1997). Ignoring the needs of the “other victims” would be detrimental. The interviews that she conducted provide anecdotal information on the experiences of those living with mentally ill patients. This work is commendable and it is interesting going through her advice on how these victims can gain a sense of entitlement, belief in themselves, and how to deal with situations in which madness comes home. Anyone with a friend or family mentally ill should read this book. It will help them learn to prioritize their lives and embrace their dreams.

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