Mad House: Growing Up In The Shadow Of Mentally Ill Siblings

In classic books such as "Girl, Interrupted" and "When Rabbit Howls", the mentally ill depict their own harrowing worlds. "Mad House" offers an account of the devastating effects of mental illness on the lives of those who share their world--the healthy siblings of those afflicted.

"A lucid and engaging account of growing up sane in the midst of madness". -- Lauren Slater, author of Welcome to My Country

In classic books such as Girl, Interrupted and When Rabbit Howls, the mentally ill depict their own harrowing worlds. In Mad House we have an account of the devastating effects of mental illness on the lives of those who share their world -- the healthy siblings of those afflicted.

Clea Simon was shattered when her older brother, Daniel, a freshman at Harvard, began hearing voices, making it impossible for him to function. He later committed suicide. Schizophrenia next claimed her sister, Katherine, who has moved from one institution to another after refusing any help from her family. Simon, who spoke with hundreds of other siblings of the mentally ill and with experts in the field, confronts the issues healthy siblings face, from guilt (Why do I deserve to be okay?) to fear (Will illness claim me or my children next?) to anger at being neglected by parents overwhelmed by the needs of the mad child. Part memoir, part practical guide, Mad House is a compelling and compassionate book destined to help many people come to terms, as Simon has, with the unique pain of living with a sibling's mental illness.

"Ms. Simon takes the reader on a captivating journey that in the end teaches us more than any textbook or survival guide possibly could". -- Richard Keefe, Ph.D., author of Understanding Schizophrenia: A Guide to the New Research on Causes and Treatment