Publisher's Synopsis
A harrowing and spell-binding memoir of one family's twenty-year journey through mental illness, told by the mother who fought at the front lines. When we hear the word "schizophrenia" we typically equate the outcome with hopelessness, despair, and another human statistic. However, in this case, the mother of the patient fought back, using her background in microbiology, chemistry, and an unrelenting will to survive to discover unprecedented breakthroughs in mental health. You are afforded a front row seat to witness a diagnosis of depression, its maturation to bipolar disorder, progressing to schizoaffective bipolar type, then schizophrenia, and ultimately elevating to paranoid schizophrenia. You will journey through the mental health system labyrinth, get insider input on what works and what doesn't during crisis, witness gut-wrenching failures, and ultimately the most unlikely of victories against an undefeated opponent. The true story centers around a mother's fight for her son, Daniel, who begins displaying symptoms of mental illness at the age of 14. He undergoes seven mental health hospitalizations, including a 9-month stay in the state mental hospital. The book leads you through his battle to a point where his hallucinations, delusions and voices are eliminated. You will witness the struggle first-hand, the frustration of ineffective medications, and ultimately learn about his recovery from schizophrenia using the genetics of the methylation pathway. As you immerse yourself in the memoir you will find you are the recipient of a personal escort through the unforgiving process used to recover Daniel's mental health using the scientific principles of genetics. You will learn about genes tied to mental illness, genetic testing options, database choices which analyze genetic raw data, and the steps toward recovery using cofactors, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. The memoir is filled with frustration, anger, hopelessness, fear, trauma, hope, recovery, compassion, and finally a future. If you are fighting for a loved one, or know people in your community who are struggling with mental illness, this first-of-its-kind memoir is a must-read. It may just hold the key to unlock the door for your family member in the throes of crisis. Move forward in hope and learn to be your own best advocate. Fight for your brain like you do for your body.
