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Lives Interrupted: Psychiatric Narratives of Struggle and Resilience provides insight into the everyday experiences of individuals struggling with severe psychic distress during a six-month immersion program at the Fountain House headquarters, a New York-based organization that works to address the effects of serious mental illness. These narratives add complexity and objectivity to the expanding discussion of psychiatric treatment plans. Contributors to this collection argue that narratives are vital to treatment and should not be treated as secondary options to standard diagnosis and treatment practices that rely heavily on pharmaceuticals and often result in short-term revolving-door interventions for complex forms of human suffering.
List of contents
Chapter 1: Thinking psychosocially about psychosis.
Chapter 2: Faith: A woman interrupted.
Chapter 3: Mary: Surviving "head traumas".
Chapter 4: Jeff: Lost in Translation.
Chapter 5: Dylan: Escape Artist.
Chapter 6: Terry: Holding on.
Chapter 7: Teresa: Looking for Love.
Chapter 8: Kyle: A conflicted life.
Chapter 9: Courtney: A misrecognized woman.
Chapter 10: Eliza: No place to call home.
Chapter 11: Sarah: Who am I?
Chapter 12: Daniel: Haunted by his past.
Chapter 13: Jamie: Seeking comfort.
Chapter 14: Jessie: Mr. Misunderstood
Chapter 15: Roundtable Meeting of Team Members to discuss the book draft
Chapter 16: The idea of Fountain House: A place for recovery in the community
About the author
Michael O'Loughlin is professor in the College of Education and Health Sciences and the Derner School of Psychology at Adelphi University.
Secil Arac-Orhun, PhD, is licensed clinical psychologist.
Montana Queler, PhD, is psychologist and licensed mental health counselor.
Summary
Based on interviews with individuals who struggle with severe psychic distress, contributors to this edited collection critique conventional pharmaceutical and medicalized treatment and argue for the need to create facilitative spaces in which psychosocial and familial supports are offered as adjuncts to therapy.
