Saving Millie; a daughter's story of surviving her mother's schizophrenia - Softcover

Tina Kotulski

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0977911519 ISBN 13: 9780977911516

Publisher: Extraordinary Voices Press, 2006

Synopsis

For Tina Kotulski, daughter of a mentally ill mother, surviving the bizarre landscape of schizophrenia came at a price. Her traumatic childhood, overshadowed by her mother's unpredictable and often abusive behavior, led Tina to attempt suicide as an adolescent. Consequently seperated from her mother, she remained "invisible", unaware of the vast number of Daughters and Sons who have shared similar experiences. Now, twenty-five years later, armed with a hard-won understanding of her mother's condition, Tina has confronted the family's terrifying past in her new book Saving Millie: A Daughter's Story of Surviving Her Mother's Schizophrenia. Using humor and first-person narration, the author draws an intimate portrait of life with her mother, Millie, whose severe schizophrenia went undiagnosed for nearly twenty years, despite numerous contacts with mental health professionals. Unlike other books of its type, Tina's story calls for the urgent transformation of the current standard of psychiatric care, not only for afflicted individuals, but also for families and communities. An advocate for families with mental illness, Tina is convinced that this story is not solely her own. It's the story of millions who have grown up in unpredictable situations and survived despite the odds. She brings hope to others enduring the ordeal of mental illness.

About this title

About the Author

Tina Kotulski has played an active role in Daughters and Sons of Persons with Mental Illness, a support group through the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) and has been involved in community education nationwide. With her sister, Susan Smiley, and their mother, Mildred Smiley, she received a 2006 Award of Excellence in consumer and Family Support from the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare as a result of their involvement with the documentary, Out Of The Shadow. Tina speaks on mental illness at national conferences, seminars, health care centers, schools, and community centers.

Edition details

• Publisher: Extraordinary Voices Press
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0977911519
• ISBN 13: 9780977911516
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 248