Book Review

I was recently in the market for a book to help my daughter gain a better understanding and acquire some coping skills for living with a parent who has bipolar disorder. I searched Amazon and couldn’t find anything very promising, so I broadened my search through Google and found a book called I’m Not Alone: A Teen’s Guide to Living with a Parent Who Has Mental Illness by Dr. Michelle D. Sherman, PhD and DeAnne Sherman, Michelle’s mother. Michelle sent me a copy of the book to review.

Admittedly, I have a tough time reviewing books written for teenagers. For one, I’m not a teenager and I don’t work with teenagers on a daily basis. I also have two grown children – a son who’s 21 and a daughter who is 18. Even when they were little, I sort of treated them as adults, so I’m a little out of touch with the teen scene.

I was glad to hear from the author that everything in the book is based on solid research. For example, I had questioned whether any teenager actually believed that a mental illness could be contagious and learned that yes, many teenagers have this misconception or at least wonder whether it is a possibility. I was also pleased to find out that over 100 reviewers who work with teenagers and over 50 teenagers (ages 10-20) reviewed the book and provided feedback on the maturity level and content of the book. While I mistakenly thought that the book would be more appropriate for pre-teens, the reviewers said that if anything, the book was too advanced, meaning it is probably written at just the right level.

Following, I provide my brief overview/review of the book.

Workbook Format

I’m Not Alone: A Teen’s Guide to Living with a Parent Who Has Mental Illness combines the elements of an informational guide with a workbook format, which functions very well. It makes the book more interactive, which I think teenagers will like, and it taps the therapeutic power of writing to help teens get more in touch with their thoughts and feelings and truly make this a self-help guide—the reader is led through the process of discovering and inventing ways to help himself or herself.

Part I: The Basics

“Part I: The Basics” provides some very good information about the differences between schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder. I liked the sidebar stories and also thought that the list of famous people who have experienced mental illness is very helpful in showing teenagers that their parents are in good company.

This part also contains a brief lesson on the types of treatment options (therapy, medications, peer support groups, and family involvement) that can help in the parent’s recovery and provides the reader with hope that recovery is possible with the proper treatment.

Part II: Life with a Parent Who Has a Mental Illness

“Part II: Life with a Parent Who Has a Mental Illness” is excellent. It’s really what I wanted the book for in the first place. It provides very practical strategies for living with a parent who has a mental illness. The workbook format used throughout the book is perfect for this part, helping teenagers…

• Sort out their feelings.
• Jot down a list of questions they would like answered.
• Take care of themselves by getting involved in outside activities.
• Identify people who belong to their support groups.
• Deal with friends who may say and do the wrong things based on their misconceptions of mental illness.
• Identify ways to help their parents—as a parent, I really liked this lesson! But seriously, I found that my kids really wanted to help in times of crisis, but didn’t know what to do. This lesson helps them discover ways to help ease the burden.
• Know what to do in a crisis.

Part III: Wrap Up

“Part III: Wrap Up” contains a collection of useful information, including a recap of lessons learned in the book, commonly asked questions and their answers, a list of resources including Web sites and books, a brief glossary, and notes for professionals and for parents/caregivers.

All in all, I think this is a solid book that will help teens and pre-teens cope more effectively with a parent who has a mental illness.

Keep in mind that you can’t order the book at Amazon or pick it up at your local bookstore. You must order directly from Seeds of Hope Books:

Order online at www.seedsofhopebooks.com (secure Web site)

OR

Call 1-800-901-3480