Title: Undiagnosed: Losing the Son I Didn’t Know
Author: Larry Brady
Publisher: Urlink Print & Media, LLC
ISBN: 978-1647534622
Pages: 226
Genre: Self-Help/Relationships
Reviewed by: Tony Espinoza
Hollywood Book Reviews
One area of the world of healthcare which still needs more attention, study and understanding, is mental health. For far too long mental health has gone unchecked and those who suffer from it have sought out other means of treatment to help with their pain. This is why a more public understanding of mental health is needed. As Neil Gaiman once said, “A library is a place that is a repository of information and gives every citizen equal access to it. That includes health information. And mental health information. It’s a community space. It’s a place of safety, a haven from the world.”
In author Larry Brady’s Undiagnosed: losing the son I didn’t know, the author tells the tragic tale of his son Chris. Throughout the course of the author’s life of raising five sons, his family’s struggles to help and care for their son Chris became a central point of interest. The author recalls his son’s bout with mental illness, and the process of trying to understand and find the right course of treatment for this ailment. Soon however, drugs entered the picture, and a downward spiral led to a fateful decision that affected his family greatly. This is a story of a family dealing with and finding help for a loved one suffering from mental illness, and the process of recovering and coping with the pain that comes with it.
This is a powerfully emotional read. The narrative brought to life a very real struggle that too many suffer from on a daily basis. Mental health is a much-needed subject of study and understanding that requires more research and less stigma than currently exists. The author’s writing blends a very personal style and narrative with a sense of normalcy which speaks to the average family’s journey helping someone they love with their own mental illnesses.
This is a must-read for anyone who has family suffering from mental illness or addiction, anyone who suffers from mental illness themselves and is looking for those who understand or empathize with them, or those who enjoy self-help style reads and books about relationships in general. As someone who has family who have mental health struggles, this was a powerful book that touched upon many of the same feelings and emotions I have in regards to mental health in general, and how much there needs to do to end the stigma altogether.
Author Larry Brady’s Undiagnosed: losing the son I didn’t know is an evenly paced, emotionally-driven and heartfelt read. The author not only captures the raw emotions involved in the life and struggle of a loved one suffering from mental illness, but captured the emotions of the family and loved ones who are there trying to help and understand. Raw, and written in a personal way, readers will feel the author’s pain and the heartfelt struggle for this family throughout this amazingly written book.