Overview

A psychiatrist tells the story of her struggle to help her patients in our broken American mental health care system. In this clinical memoir, Alice Feller brings the reader into the world of serious mental illness using patient vignettes and personal accounts of her work, drawn from medical school, hospital wards, private practice, public clinics, and beyond, spanning a career from the 1970s to the present day. Individual chapters are devoted to cases describing the impact of homelessness, substance abuse, racism, family involvement, and early intervention for schizophrenia cases, on treatment outcomes. Feller identifies specific barriers to care and advocates for reparative strategies that would make the most meaningful and immediate improvements. This book is meant for anyone whose life is touched by mental illness, whether a patient, in the family, or more personally.

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9781538193228

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Reviews

I can't recommend American Madness enough. Dr. Feller uses anecdotes drawn from her years of practice as a psychiatrist to convey, in a few strokes, the realities of serious mental illness, not only from the perspective of the provider but also the experience of the patient. The writing is engaging and the vignettes flow smoothly in a way that is accessible and illuminating for the general public and those who are dealing with these issues in their own lives. She defines anosognosia, the inability by many with serious mental illnesses to have insight into their condition, in the clearest way I have seen. The personal narratives culminate in the final expository chapters, where Dr. Feller evaluates our mental health system and its failures. Most importantly, her heart and commitment to her patients comes through, and I wonder how differently our outcomes might be if the system didn't make it so hard for these patient-first attributes to guide treatment. --Patricia Fontana, activist and co-founcer, Voices of Mothers

This important and engaging book describes a complex national crisis through the lens of one thoughtful psychotherapist's life experience. Alice Feller has worked in almost every part of our fragmented mental health 'system'. Her book--part memoir, part policy discussion--helps the reader understand the causes of the crisis, the frustration of being a participant in a failing system, and what policy and program changes are needed to restore our communities to true mental health. --Loni Hancock, former California State Senator, California State Assemblymember, mayor of Berkeley, and Berkeley City councilmember Alice Feller's American Madness is a must-read if you're at all interested in the mental health crisis besetting this country. Dr. Feller embodies the staggering complexities of our system in vivid human stories. Her book is entertaining, illuminating, and absolutely necessary. --David Schweidel, author of What Men Call Treasure: the Search For Gold at Victorio Peak and Confidence of the Heart I can't recommend American Madness enough. Alice Feller uses anecdotes drawn from her years of practice as a psychiatrist to convey, in a few strokes, the realities of serious mental illness, not only from the perspective of the provider but also in the experience of the patient. The writing is engaging and the vignettes flow smoothly in a way that is accessible and illuminating for the general public and those dealing with these issues in their own lives. She defines anosognosia, the inability by many with serious mental illnesses to have insight into their condition, in the clearest way I have seen. The personal narratives culminate in the final expository chapters, where Dr. Feller evaluates our mental health system and its failures. Most importantly, her heart and commitment to her patients comes through, and I wonder how different our outcomes might be if the system didn't make it so hard for these patient-first attributes to guide treatment. --Patricia Fontana, activist and co-founder, Voices of Mothers

"Alice Feller's American Madness is a must-read if you're at all interested in the mental health crisis besetting this country. Dr. Feller embodies the staggering complexities of our system in vivid human stories. Her book is entertaining, illuminating, and absolutely necessary. --David Schweidel, author of What Men Call Treasure: the Search For Gold at Victorio Peak and Confidence of the Heart Alice Feller's American Madness is a personal memoir of her experience spanning almost 50 years of psychiatric practice. This is an important book that documents the collapse of effective mental health care in America, which has led to inadequate treatment for a large part of the American population. The mental health system has become an ineffective treatment provider of the severely ill, the substance dependent, the poor, and racial minorities. This book is the work of a fine writer whose stories, while desperately sad, are written artfully in a way that reminds me of William Carlos Williams in his Doctor Stories and John Berger in A Fortunate Man. This book is a must-read for all those who care about the repair of an insane system for treating the mentally ill. --Thomas H. Ogden, MD, The Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California; author of Coming to Life in the Consulting Room and Reclaiming Unlived Life I can't recommend American Madness enough. Alice Feller uses anecdotes drawn from her years of practice as a psychiatrist to convey, in a few strokes, the realities of serious mental illness, not only from the perspective of the provider but also in the experience of the patient. The writing is engaging and the vignettes flow smoothly in a way that is accessible and illuminating for the general public and those dealing with these issues in their own lives. She defines anosognosia, the inability by many with serious mental illnesses to have insight into their condition, in the clearest way I have seen. The personal narratives culminate in the final expository chapters, where Dr. Feller evaluates our mental health system and its failures. Most importantly, her heart and commitment to her patients comes through, and I wonder how different our outcomes might be if the system didn't make it so hard for these patient-first attributes to guide treatment. --Patricia Fontana, activist and co-founder, Voices of Mothers In American Madness, Dr. Alice Feller invites us on her decades long journey through a shattered mental health system that is failing to treat our sickest, those with severe neurological brain diseases like schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. From when she began practicing medicine in 1977 to today, she recounts the step-by-step deterioration of a failing ""system"" in which people are blocked from urgently needed lifesaving medical treatment and are thereby denied the chance for a robust recovery. She states that early intervention is the key to recovery, but that is not happening, as evidenced by this shocking statistic: today 90% of all inpatient psychiatric care in the U.S. is behind bars! Dr. Feller's book addresses the many reasons we have let this population down, including our laws, insurance practices, the absence of accountability at every juncture, and the maze of siloed service systems that do not communicate with one another. She brings to light the frustrating obstacles dedicated, caring doctors now face to help their patients live their best lives. Her patients' poignant stories are recounted, bringing to life the avoidable human tragedies that continue to play out on our streets, in jail and prison cells, and in homes across our country. I highly recommend this thoughtful and compassionate recounting of a doctor's career in the trenches fighting for her patients' right to healthcare, dignity, and life. --Linda L. Mimms, Public Policy, Duke University; vice chair, Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance This important and engaging book describes a complex national crisis through the lens of one thoughtful psychotherapist's life experience. Alice Feller has worked in almost every part of our fragmented mental health 'system'. Her book--part memoir, part policy discussion--helps the reader understand the causes of the crisis, the frustration of being a participant in a failing system, and what policy and program changes are needed to restore our communities to true mental health. --Loni Hancock, former California State Senator, California State Assemblymember, mayor of Berkeley, and Berkeley City councilmember"

Alice Feller's American Madness is a must-read if you're at all interested in the mental health crisis besetting this country. Dr. Feller embodies the staggering complexities of our system in vivid human stories. Her book is entertaining, illuminating, and absolutely necessary. --David Schweidel, author of What Men Call Treasure: the Search For Gold at Victorio Peak and Confidence of the Heart I can't recommend American Madness enough. Alice Feller uses anecdotes drawn from her years of practice as a psychiatrist to convey, in a few strokes, the realities of serious mental illness, not only from the perspective of the provider but also in the experience of the patient. The writing is engaging and the vignettes flow smoothly in a way that is accessible and illuminating for the general public and those dealing with these issues in their own lives. She defines anosognosia, the inability by many with serious mental illnesses to have insight into their condition, in the clearest way I have seen. The personal narratives culminate in the final expository chapters, where Dr. Feller evaluates our mental health system and its failures. Most importantly, her heart and commitment to her patients comes through, and I wonder how different our outcomes might be if the system didn't make it so hard for these patient-first attributes to guide treatment. --Patricia Fontana, activist and co-founder, Voices of Mothers

Author Information

Alice Feller, MD is a writer and a clinical psychiatrist. She has worked in private practice, hospital emergency rooms, psychiatric wards, chemical dependency programs and public clinics in East Oakland and beyond. Her writing, focused on mental health, addiction and homelessness, has appeared in the East Bay Express, the Laney Tower, CalMatters, fort da and Interconnecting Circles, as well as the opinion pages of the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times. She has served two terms on the City of Berkeley Homeless Commission and is an analyst member of the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis. She lives with her husband and daughter in Berkeley, California.

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