Safe, Wanted, and Loved: A Family Memoir of Mental Illness, Heartbreak, and Hope

by Patrick Dylan

Overview

"Anyone out there struggling to navigate mental illness should read this thoughtful book." -Former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, founder of the Kennedy Forum

"Pat, we need to kill the dog." A chill ran down Patrick Dylan's spine as his wife spoke-psychosis had found their family again.

When a sudden mental illness struck his wife, Patrick Dylan found himself living with an eerie stranger. Scared and unprepared, he began a desperate battle to protect her from a mysterious disease, shelter their children from her bizarre behavior, and recover the woman he loved.

For years, Patrick and Mia Dylan enjoyed an intimate marriage that exemplified partnership. They worked together to create a loving home for their two children, enjoyed a close relationship with their extended family, and offered mutual support during hard times. But on the morning of Mia's thirty-ninth birthday, everything changed.

Within weeks, she had been admitted to the emergency room, the hospital, and the local crisis facility, but none of the experts could provide an answer. As her illness eluded diagnosis, the family's struggle was only beginning. A brave memoir in the tradition of Brain on Fire, Dylan's Safe, Wanted, and Loved is a compassionate, honest, and gripping account of a family navigating mental illness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781736417218
Publisher:	Snow Anselmo Press
Publication date:	05/04/2021
Pages:	340
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.76(d)

About the Author

Patrick Dylan joins the voices calling for an end to the stigma surrounding mental illness. He and his wife, Mia, live in Florida and have two college-age children. They hope that sharing their family's story will spread awareness of the realities of mental illness and offer support to others who are either experiencing a mental health crisis or providing care to an affected loved one.

Table of Contents

1. The Start 1

2. The First Day 5

3. The Emergency Room 29

4. The First Diagnosis 49

5. The Nightmare 66

6. The Truth 84

7. The Plan 106

8. The Devil 124

9. The Crisis Center 143

10. The Lost Cuban 169

11. The Stranger 195

12. The Resurgence 221

13. The Worst Night Ever 243

14. The Advocate 267

15. The New Normal 286

16. The Long Titration 311

17. The Relapse 327

18. Desperation 349

19. The Final Diagnosis 364

20. The Christmas Present 381

Epilogue 401

Editorial Reviews

"Safe, Wanted, and Loved provides a compelling, deeply personal narrative about the true impact of mental illness on the individual and their family. Speaking from a place of healing and compassion, Patrick Dylan shares unique insights into a reality faced by so many Americans each day. Anyone out there struggling to navigate mental illness should read this thoughtful book." -Former US Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, founder of The Kennedy Forum

"Safe, Wanted, and Loved shares with gut-wrenching honesty and loving tenderness the challenges experienced by so many families dealing with mental illness, my own included. This story powerfully illustrates why afflictions of the brain should be treated with as much respect and compassion as other diseases, without fear of prejudice or shame." -Jessie Close, renowned author and mental health advocate

"A dramatic account, compellingly told as only someone who had lived through the ordeal could. In his first book, Patrick Dylan brings the skills of a veteran novelist to telling a story that illuminates the terrifying darkness of mental illness." -Paul A. Cantor, Clifton Waller Barrett Professor of English, University of Virginia

"Patrick Dylan has written a searing account of his wife's journey to the hell of mental illness and back. Her courage and her family's tenacity in never letting go of her hand, even in the worst of times, are beautifully rendered. This is a book you will not be able to put down." -Alexander Vuckovic, MD, medical director, The Pavilion at McLean Hospital

From the Publisher