Family Secrets: What My Son's Diagnosis Revealed About Our Past
After being invited to blog on HuffPost's "Post 50" pages, it only took a moment to decide what part of my three generation portrait of mental illness would be most relevant to their readers.
An Excerpt....
After I had signed the necessary forms and Alex settled in to his room in the adolescent ward, I tearfully sat down with the psychiatrist on duty (who I call "Dr. C" in my book) for what she described as a "simple family health interview. With a sheaf of papers on her lap, Dr. C then methodically began to ask me about the health and causes of death of every member of my immediate family going back three generations.
I quickly caught on that unlike the more common version of this exercise Dr. C was fishing not for evidence of heart disease or cancer in the family, but for any mental illnesses suffered by Alex's blood relatives, including those now living and gone. Once I understood our purpose, I was able to quickly dispense with my ex-husband's family and the maternal side of mine -- all seemingly devoid of any mental health issues. After that, the conversation became difficult, the memories more painful.
Read the whole story on Huffington Post.
Find out more about my book, A Lethal Inheritance, A Mother Uncovers the Science Behind Three Generations of Mental Illness.