Behind the Wall: The True Story of Mental Illness as Told by Parents
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Behind the Wall: The True Story of Mental Illness as Told by Parents

Behind the Wall: The True Story of Mental Illness as Told by Parents

by Mary Widdifield

Overview

Behind the Wall: The True Story of Mental Illness as Told by Parents by Mary Widdifield

Behind the Wall: The True Story of Mental Illness as Told by Parents provides a shared voice for millions of people who advocate for a child or loved one living with mental illness, fosters understanding for society at-large, and delivers an ultimately hopeful read.

The seven true stories in this book, told by nine parents, were selected from interviews conducted by sisters Mary and Elin Widdifield, and interwoven with one sister's own experiences. Told with remarkable candor, these stories offer more insight than any single story or academic analysis.

When mental illness enters the national discussion, it typically comes in the wake of a violent tragedy, attracting temporary attention and further misunderstanding. Behind the Wall posits that the true story of mental illness can be told most accurately by the people in the trenches: the parents who watched it all unfold.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781634132046
Publisher: Langdon Street Press
Publication date: 04/07/2015
Pages: 322
Product dimensions: 5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Mary Widdifield received her MA in English and creative writing from San Francisco State University where she received the Wilner Award for short fiction. Mary’s fiction and essays have appeared in Transfer Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, and Able Muse. Mary is a grant writer for nonprofits. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two children.

Elin Widdifield received her MA in counseling psychology from Tufts University and completed an externship in family therapy at The Philadelphia Child Guidance Center. She has worked extensively with adolescents, families, young adults, and sexual assault survivors. Elin has documented oral histories, including life experiences of combat veterans. Elin resides in North Carolina where she is on the boards of NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness), and the UNC Center For Excellence in Community Mental Health. She is the mother of two sons.

Table of Contents

Foreword xv

Preface xxi

Introduction xxv

Part I The journey begins with chaos, diagnosis, and seeking treatment 1

Chapter 1 Meet My Child (multi-narrative): The way we were. 3

Chapter 2 Esme and Jennifer: The journey begins, chaos erupts, and diagnosis seems elusive 11

Chapter 3 Kerri and Thomas: Will anyone believe what I'm going through? 41

Chapter 4 Bianca and Miguel: Looking for the little bit of normal 57

Chapter 5 Tessa and Riley: Parents shouldn't have those thoughts 79

Part II From a parent's worst fear to hope, recovery, and coping 113

Chapter 6 Catherine and Philip: Remembering Philip and the isolation of mental illness 115

Chapter 7 Nathalie, Delia, and Gianna: Treatment, hope, and gratitude 153

Chapter 8 Dan, Rebecca, and Stella: What recovery can mean, and meeting your child "where they are" 189

Part III Our new normal 223

Chapter 9 Our Own Roller Coaster (multi-narrative): Grief, guilt, advice, and coping 225

Chapter 10 What We Dream for Our Children (multi-narrative): Revised expectations and recovery 251

Acknowledgments 267

Notes 271

Appendix: Parent Questionnaire: Questions designed to guide parents toward exploring and understanding their own journey 281

Glossary of Brain Disorder Diagnoses 287

References and Resources for Further Reading 291

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