Profiles in Mental Health Courage

Former congressman Kennedy and journalist Fried (coauthors, A Common Struggle) deliver a heartrending portrait of mental illness and substance abuse disorder in America. Among the 12 individuals spotlighted, actor Gabrielle Anwar recalls life as a “Bipolar Mom” whose “stormy moods and addictions” impacted her children’s upbringing before she began regular therapy and psychiatric medications. As a severely depressed UPenn undergrad, Henry Platt had made progress dealing with his depression by his junior year, when the head of the school’s counseling center died by suicide, bringing into painfully ironic relief the depth of the mental health crisis on college campuses. Elsewhere, a wrenching profile chronicles healthcare aide Ashley Dunlop’s cycles through periods of sobriety and drug relapses. Her frustrating odyssey to find proper treatment highlights the challenges Americans face from a poorly funded healthcare system that often fails to take mental illness and substance disorders seriously. With fine-grained attention to detail, the authors draw out the personal and social challenges of these illnesses without sensationalizing them. In the process, they fulfill their mission to improve visibility for those struggling to get help, and take a step toward rectifying the widespread lack of understanding about mental illnesses and substance disorders, which they argue is “as big an epidemic as the diseases themselves.” It’s a revealing window into an important and timely issue. (Apr.)