The Price of Silence: A Mom's Perspective on Mental Illness - Hardcover

Long, Liza

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 159463257X ISBN 13: 9781594632570

Publisher: Avery Pub Group, 2014

Synopsis

Liza Long is the mother of a child who has bipolar disorder. When she heard about the Newtown shooting, her first thought was, What if my son does that someday? She wrote an emotional response to the tragedy, which the Boise State University online journal published as I Am Adam Lanza's Mother. The post went viral, receiving 1.2 million Facebook likes, nearly 17,000 tweets, and 30,000 emails.
Now, in "The Price of Silence," she takes a devastating look at how we address mental illness, especially in children, who are funneled through a system of education, mental healthcare, and juvenile detention that leads far too often to prison. In the end she asks one central question: If there's a poster child for cancer, why can t there be one for mental illness? The answer: stigma. She is speaking in a way that we cannot help but hear, and she won't stop until something changes."

About this title

Review:

"In this courageous, determined, radical book, Liza Long exposes the dearth of alternatives for parents of kids with mental illnesses, the shame that attends their perceived failures, and the hope that such families may find their collective voice and demand better options. I hope her passionate cry is heard far and wide."
--Andrew Solomon, PhD, author of "The Noonday Demon "and "Far from the Tree"
"Not only is Liza Long's "The Price of Silence" an honest and inspiring memoir, but it's an incisive indictment of what passes for a mental-health-care system in America--and what's too often the result, mental illness leading to prison, not treatment. But "The Price of Silence" doesn't only illuminate the crisis, it offers solutions--ones that can lead to healing."
--David Sheff, author of "Beautiful Boy"
"Liza Long offers a lucid description of the myriad of problems that confound and perplex the average parent who struggles mightily to find answers and relief for their child. In the process, she charts a course that will provide an excellent guide for others on this difficult journey as they make their way through the maze of our current mental health care system."
--Demitri Papolos, M.D., Co-Author, "The Bipolar Child"
"The most excruciatingly honest, portrayal of what it's like to be the mom of a child with serious mental illness and how the mental "health" system gets in the way."
--DJ Jaffe, Executive Director, Mental Illness Policy Org

"Liza Long deals a powerful and devastating blow-by-blow indictment of how our mental health system has failed us. Her courageous voice is an important call to action for a nation that has for too long ignored the true situation. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the mental health crisis facing our nation."
--Matthew Lysiak, author of "Newtown"
""The Price of Silence" goes deep into the civil rights issues that parents face in getting appropriate care and education for their children. Liza's ability to share the truth about her family's experiences is changing history, making it possible for others to step out of the darkness of isolation. Courage personified, she is our Flawless heroine."
--Janine Francolini, Founder and Board Chair of The Flawless Foundation: Seeing the Perfection in Every Child

In this courageous, determined, radical book, Liza Long exposes the dearth of alternatives for parents of kids with mental illnesses, the shame that attends their perceived failures, and the hope that such families may find their collective voice and demand better options. I hope her passionate cry is heard far and wide.
Andrew Solomon, PhD, author of "The Noonday Demon "and "Far from the Tree"
Not only is Liza Long s "The Price of Silence" an honest and inspiring memoir, but it s an incisive indictment of what passes for a mental-health-care system in America and what s too often the result, mental illness leading to prison, not treatment. But "The Price of Silence" doesn t only illuminate the crisis, it offers solutions ones that can lead to healing.
David Sheff, author of "Beautiful Boy"
Liza Long offers a lucid description of the myriad of problems that confound and perplex the average parent who struggles mightily to find answers and relief for their child.In the process, she charts a course that will provide an excellent guide for others on this difficult journey as they make their way through the maze of our current mental health care system.
Demitri Papolos, M.D., Co-Author, "The Bipolar Child"
The most excruciatingly honest, portrayal of what it's like to be the mom of a child with serious mental illness and how the mental "health" system gets in the way.
DJ Jaffe, Executive Director, Mental Illness Policy Org

Liza Long deals a powerful and devastating blow-by-blow indictment of how our mental health system has failed us. Her courageous voice is an important call to action for a nation that has for too long ignored the true situation. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the mental health crisis facing our nation."
Matthew Lysiak, author of "Newtown"
"The Price of Silence" goes deep into the civil rights issues that parents face in getting appropriate care and education for their children. Liza's ability to share the truth about her family's experiences is changing history, making it possible for others to step out of the darkness of isolation. Courage personified, she is our Flawless heroine.
Janine Francolini, Founder and Board Chair of The Flawless Foundation: Seeing the Perfection in Every Child"

About the Author:

Liza Long is an author, educator, erstwhile classicist, and single mother of four children based in Boise, Idaho. She has written and edited extensively for regional publications, including "Eagle Magazine," "Greenbelt Magazine," and "The Blue Review." Since her essay I Am Adam Lanza s Mother went viral, she has appeared on the "Today Show," "Good Morning America," "Erin Burnett Out Front," and" Anderson Cooper 360," among others. She presented a talk on stigma at TEDx San Antonio in October 2013."

About this edition

• Publisher: Avery Pub Group
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 159463257X
• ISBN 13: 9781594632570
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 282