Profiles in Mental Health Courage

Praise for Profiles in Mental Health Courage:

“I assumed that nothing in a book of essays about people struggling with their mental health could surprise me. Then I read … Patrick J. Kennedy’s Profiles in Mental Health Courage, written with Stephen Fried … about the complicated relationship between addiction and mental health … a former congressman with his own history of substance abuse and bipolar disorder, [he] introduces readers introduces readers to … people living with mental illness who are not only functioning, but helping others.” —Judith Newman, New York Times Book Review

“Profiles in Mental Health Courage is a must read. I could not put it down. The stories of real families dealing with the messy, awful impacts of mental health and substance use are raw and unvarnished. It will make you want to do something about it.” —Kate Snow, NBC

“A heartrending portrait of mental illness and substance abuse disorder in America… [Patrick J. Kennedy and Stephen Fried] fulfill their mission to improve visibility for those struggling to get help, and take a step toward rectifying the widespread lack of understanding about mental illnesses and substance disorders, which they argue is ‘as big an epidemic as the diseases themselves’…a revealing window into an important and timely issue.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“An insightful, compelling book … that could alter perception of addiction, mental health and treatment in the U.S. … heartbreaking and inspiring.” —Kirkus

“Richly informative, harrowing, and moving, these courageously shared tales cast much-needed light on the many obstacles to mental health.” —Booklist

“Profiles in Mental Health Courage came about at the perfect time, when depression, bipolar disorder and other illnesses are at the forefront. Kennedy said it’s time for the conversation to start.” —LA Downtown News

“Profiles in Mental Health Courage is a miracle, a book that will help and heal and inspire. I honestly do not know how the authors did it, but their ability to get the participants to lay their souls bare in such intimate detail, is both remarkable and profound. So many books profess to help in the woefully misunderstood area of mental health: this one does in a way that is unprecedented, riveting, readable and rooted in humanity.” —Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights

“Powerful … courageous … amazing stories that could really change the way Americans understand and appreciate these illnesses, and enable us, finally, to talk to each other about them.” —Michael Phelps

“Profiles in Mental Health Courage is a great read, that will …. initiate those conversations that we’re scared to have.” —Maria Shriver

“Teachers encounter students and families facing a variety of mental health conditions, including addiction. They’ll benefit from exploring the stories in this book, hopefully gaining empathy and understanding instead of feeling fear and dismissiveness.” —We Are Teachers

“The book aims ‘to show, in great factual and emotional depth, just how challenging these illnesses are.’ It delivers.” —New York Journal of Books

“Profiles in Mental Health Courage is a reminder not only of the humanity of those who suffer from mental illness and its consequences, but of how incapable our wider society is of coping with this crisis . . . . The stories are deep, multifaceted, and memorable; some of them are haunting. Kennedy and Fried know something about the potential of a personal story to sound alarms about mental health in America . . . . There is pain and loss and honesty and hope. Yet the book is more than a collection of personal stories; it is a call, as the authors say, for ‘a paradigm shift,’ away from the idea that mental health crises are some unique signifier of our unprecedented modern age and toward acceptance that for a long, long time, a lot of us have been ill.” —Harvard Public Health Magazine