The Family Intervention Guide to Mental Illness: Recognizing Symptoms and Getting Treatment

Over 50 million Americans have a mental illness, but as many as 20 million don't have their illness detected. And many others get substandard treatment. Family members play a crucial role in recognizing mental illness, and helping a loved one get the treatment they need. The early signs of mental illness are clear if you know what to look for, and getting rapid and effective treatment will help your relative get better faster. If you think a family member or friend may be struggling with a mental illness, or isn't getting effective treatment, this guide will help you recognize symptoms, get the right treatment, and work together as a family to help your loved one get better.

Inside you'll find step-by-step support and information for determining whether someone you care about is suffering from a mental disorder, and what you can do to help. The Family Intervention Guide to Mental Illness outlines the nine fundamental steps to recognizing, managing, and recovering from mental illness. It provides both diagnostic information and details about therapy options and useful medications. With the right advice, determined effort, and a lot of love, you can make a difference.

Bodie Morey received her AB from Harvard and experienced firsthand the uncertainty, turmoil and challenges of mental illness developing in close family members. Morey was instrumental in initiating a model program for mental health outreach services in New Hampshire, developed a popular long-running public education series, Families Coping with Mental Illness, co-taught the first Family Education Course in New Hampshire--the forerunner of the present NAMI national Family-to-Family Program. Morey was president of the NAMI affiliate in Concord, NH from 1986 to 2000, and works to promote better public information on mental illnesses.

Kim T. Mueser, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who works with clients and families, and a professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Community and Family Medicine at the Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, NH. He has conducted extensive research on the treatment of mental illness sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. He has published ten books for clinicians and family members, and numerous articles in scientific publications, and frequently gives lectures both nationally and internationally on mental illness treatment. Mueser has served as a board member of NAMI New Hampshire and has strong commitment to educating the public and mental health professionals about mental illnesses and their treatment. In 2007 he received the Armin Loeb Award from the United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association for his contributions to research on the treatment of mental illness. Mueser's book with Susan Gingerich, The Complete Family Guide to Schizophrenia (Guilford Press, 2006) was the recipient of a 2007 Ken Book Award, presented by the Kenneth Johnson Memorial Research Library at the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City Metro.