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Scattershot: My Bipolar Family (2008)

by David Lovelace(Favorite Author)

3.51 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0525950788 (ISBN13: 9780525950783)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Dutton Adult

review 1: Wow. Unlike any memoir I (or you) have ever read. David Lovelace is gifted, lucky, funny, honest, and bipolar. In fact his whole nuclear 1950s family is - mom, dad, and younger brother - only his sister did not inherit this disease. And it IS, as David points out, a DISEASE - a malfunction in the circuitry and chemicals in the brain. Counselors can be invaluable, but without medication, the prognosis is poor and the chance of commitment is high. There is too much focus on Lithium in this book, I believe - many other drugs are now successfully used to treat this disorder. (But great if it works for the Lovelace family.) David's exploits and experiences as he runs from himself and his tragically sickened family are recounted vividly and memorably. And the family's history i... mores detailed and unfathomable at the same time. You will find this book sad, triumphant and a whole lot more.
review 2: The state of psychiatry and psychiatric drugs was abysmal in the 50's and 60's when this family needed it the most. Fascinating read about how the family managed multiple mental illnesses in multiple family members. A compassionate look at bipolar disease, the way it manifests in people, the toll it takes on the family members of the mentally ill person and the toll it takes on the mentally ill person himself. And, thank God for psychiatric drugs. less

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