Are You There Alone? is written by Suzanne O’Malley, an investigative reporter. She followed the tragedy in real time. She was present through Andrea Yates’ 5 weeks of court proceedings. To write this book, she read all of the transcribed trial testimony, 2000 pages of Andrea Yates’ medical records and interviewed nearly 100 people, including Ms. Andrea Yates and Mr. Rusty Yates, her ex-husband, to write this book.
Dyane Harwood is my June 2018 shero.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month!Just a few years ago, it was number four on the list.
I love this book. The co-authors seamlessly intertwine a full spectrum of education and complex issues associated with living with and the treatment of bipolar 1 disorder within the story of their true emotional and personal lived experiences.
It’s an important work. It contributes to the conversation about the reality of the existence of mental illness, the deplorable lack of available adequate professional treatment, and the skewed social policies and civil rights laws surrounding the care of those with mental illness in the United States.
Today I am humbled to share a guest post from Heidi Koss, LMHCA.
Many of you know Heidi Koss from her professional persona. She was featured on this blog in April, 2013. She runs a busy psychotherapy practice in Washington state and is an activist in the area of Maternal Mental Health. She has volunteered for Postpartum Support International for sixteen years and is the Postpartum SUpport International Washington State Coordinator. Her passion for helping others is rooted in her own personal experiences with perinatal mood disorders.
I invite you to read her moving personal story.
Guest Post: Today I am pleased to have Jennifer Killi Marshall of Bipolar Mom Life guest posting here today. Her article today is about what is was like for her to become an active participant in managing her well-being and what point she realized that self-care is not just a worn-out concept. Hers is an important story about coping and thriving as a mom with bipolar disorder.
I love Jennifer’s story. Because, as a therapist, I always wonder how to reach people, to help them come to the realization that their mental health is valuable and that they are important. Important to their families, to themselves. I’ll let Jennifer