Coping with Life: October 2011

Monday, October 3, 2011

BOOK RELEASE TODAY: An excerpt from A Legacy of Madness

My book, A Legacy of Madness: Recovering My Family From Generations of Mental Illness, was officially released by Hazelden Publishers today (Oct. 3, 2011).

Thanks be to all!

The book is available at major retailers and independent bookstores (Barnes & Noble apparently did not receive a shipment in its warehouse today, but I'm told the book will be on the shelves by the end of the week).

Information on signings and how to purchase is available at the book's website: http://www.legacyofmadness.com.

As a tribute to all those who made this possible, here's an except from the book (page 186) that speaks to the power of positive reinforcement:

The person who really saved me, at least during my teenage years, was Bill Borden. He showed up at my house in Point Pleasant in 1983 wanting to go to the beach. That visit made him my best friend forever, because he never did stop showing up at my house, unannounced, ready to have fun. He was my confidant. We had known each other before. But when we became closer, I learned more from Bill than I learned from anybody. I marveled at his ability to smile his way through problems. I was struck by his ability to go up to people and start talking to them. I was amazed that he was able to carry on a conversation with anybody ....

I was always too shy and cynical to be social. I felt insecure about the way I looked ... Bill had an awkward, but honest, even charming way about him.

Bill's mission was to have fun, to smile, and to live a good life; he just wanted to work hard, go to bed, and wake up the next morning and do it all over again.

Featured bloggers

SUSAN DOWD STONE
Susan has served as president of Postpartum Support International. She is a certified therapist who serves on the national board of the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition. She is an adjunct assistant professor in the Silver School of Social Work at NYU, where she teaches cognitive therapies. She also writes for the Empowher blog.

ANDY BEHRMAN
Andy is a mental health writer whose autobiographical book, "Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania," has been translated into six foreign languages. His articles have been featured in The New York Times Magazine, and he was recently featured on CNN's "360" with Anderson Cooper. He currently lives mania-free in Los Angeles with his wife and daughters.

STEVE BERLIN
Steve Berlin has experience as a writer for national publications. He has had lengthy experience in the fire service, and served briefly as a high school teacher. A resident of Arlington, Va., Steve is pursuing a masters degree in public policy.

LAUREN HALE
A mother of three and survivor of Postpartum OCD, Lauren Hale now supports women and families who struggle with perinatal mood disorders. She serves as Georgia's postpartum international support coordinator, moderates message boards at iVillage for new mothers and blogs at Unexpected Blessing. Lauren is also one of the founders of The Postpartum Dads Project.