Marie Balter (1930–1999)

In a time where we live in a world with instant gratification, it is refreshing to get a glance into the past of patience and hope. A past that shows a world of the misunderstood and forgotten from long ago. It is a tremendous reminder for those of us who have loved ones that suffer from organic brain disabilities, such as bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, mood disorder, etc. Each day is a struggle and a blessing; a hopeful prayer that tomorrow might just be better than today. This book is about one woman’s struggle to manage her dual diagnoses of depression and severe anxiety disorder. It is her tale of self-placement in and out of mental health hospitals, due to the lack of education and medication. The author describes her experiences of living in and out of the facilities throughout twenty years and gives a realistic perspective of what it is like on the inside. Gross methods of therapy are revealed to the reader and different levels of the ward are put under the microscope. More than anything, the book is a reminder of how through both personal perseverance and determination, a person can overcome profound challenges.

I truly enjoyed reading this book from beginning to end. I learned a great deal about past techniques that were used on patients of mental health hospitals. I was horrified on how individuals were lumped together and were often ignored for what seemed years at a time. Patients had to choose to get better in order to leave the hospital. I struggled with the author’s mental illness at first. I did not understand how a person could choose to enter a hospital with severe anxiety if they are not showing symptoms of typical mental illness. Later on in the book I came to learn of her depression and her over medication by the hospitals. I believe overall the book made me appreciate the system that we have today. It might need a great deal of improvement, but it has come a long way. I cannot imagine placing a child in a system such as the one the author had to suffer through. I strongly recommend this book for both educators and parents of children who are suffering from a mental illness. The book is a little dated, but the information is very important. History does not change, therefore it is always valuable.… (mehr)