A Common Struggle
A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction
-
-
4.1 • 71 Ratings
-
-
- $14.99
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
In this New York Times bestseller Patrick J. Kennedy, the former congressman and youngest child of Senator Ted Kennedy, details his personal and political battle with mental illness and addiction, exploring mental health care's history in the country alongside his and every family's private struggles.
On May 5, 2006, the New York Times ran two stories, “Patrick Kennedy Crashes Car into Capitol Barrier” and then, several hours later, “Patrick Kennedy Says He'll Seek Help for Addiction.” It was the first time that the popular Rhode Island congressman had publicly disclosed his addiction to prescription painkillers, the true extent of his struggle with bipolar disorder and his plan to immediately seek treatment. That could have been the end of his career, but instead it was the beginning.
Since then, Kennedy has become the nation’s leading advocate for mental health and substance abuse care, research and policy both in and out of Congress. And ever since passing the landmark Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act—and after the death of his father, leaving Congress—he has been changing the dialogue that surrounds all brain diseases.
A Common Struggle weaves together Kennedy's private and professional narratives, echoing Kennedy's philosophy that for him, the personal is political and the political personal. Focusing on the years from his 'coming out' about suffering from bipolar disorder and addiction to the present day, the book examines Kennedy's journey toward recovery and reflects on Americans' propensity to treat mental illnesses as "family secrets."
Beyond his own story, though, Kennedy creates a roadmap for equality in the mental health community, and outlines a bold plan for the future of mental health policy. Written with award-winning healthcare journalist and best-selling author Stephen Fried, A Common Struggle is both a cry for empathy and a call to action.
Customer Reviews
A common struggle
I regularly recommend this book to clients and colleagues in the mental health field. It is the best book I know which gives insight into the plight of an individual who A dual diagnosis. Mr. Kennedy's unique vantage into the wars surrounding the parity issue are unmatched.
I met Mr. Kennedy as a congressman in his office when I was trying to get traction for suicide prevention efforts in psychiatric facilities.
At the time I had no idea of his struggles. All I knew was that he had a passion for helping others. Skip Simpson.
The faith community could be more involved
I recently downloaded Patrick Kennedy's recent auto-biography. What struck me most now that I've finished the book is not the former congressman's honesty about his mental health and addiction challenges, but the difficulties we face even now, with all that we know, to expand coverage, pay for research, and continue the difficult task of chipping away at stigmas still associated with diseases of the brain. Coming from a family myself that has wrestled with these sorts of challenges, I'm inspired by Kennedy's book to think more deeply about the ways to address these issues in my ministry and my personal life. Thankfully, Kennedy ended the book with talk of the new Kennedy Forum, an advocacy group, and a chapter on how we can all be involved in this effort. For communities of faith, we have a special responsibility here. Too often faith communities have blamed diseases of the brain on personal moral failures or sin. We know better today and could all be doing more to advocate for better care, as mental illness and addiction play such a large role in issues the faith community in the United States is already so strongly invested, such as the fight to end homelessness and efforts to support veterans returning from places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Kennedy spoke very little in his book how advocates could be working with the faith community on these issues. It seems to me that all faith communities could be important partners in the efforts lead by Kennedy. After all, our pews (and many of our pulpits) and filled with people that have life experiences similar to Patrick Kennedy. I highly recommend the book.- Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie