Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness

I preface that this is not meant to be a hope-filled, happy-ending sort of text. This is a true account of what the mental health care system has been for dozens of individuals, both those with mental illness and those dedicated to their betterment and safety. This is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for those who want unto read something light and move on. This will stay with you and impact you in some way. Truly revolutionary. This is an important manifesto calling for action in the treatment of those who have been mistreated for centuries - those with mental illness. This was a combination of fact-based journalism, memoir, op-ed, and biography - wrapped in a narrative nonfiction bow. The writing was beautiful and tugged at emotions while also being an informative, complex informational text that makes one rethink the many highs and lows of the mental health movement. I am better for having read this and that is all I could ask. Thank you, Pete Earley, for sharing a story that didn’t have to be told - but made an impact in a way that motivates advocacy and compassion from those read it. Thank you Mike, for being a voice in change as well and allowing your story to be told.

Wow. This book - every single page - has been an amazing experience. I originally picked this up as a high school student who needed a "pulitzer prize winning non-fiction book" to read as an independent reading assignment. I was expecting myself to get caught in another period of laziness as I always did, where I simply spark-noted or shmooped the book, never gaining the actual experience of it. I was wrong. As soon as I read the first couple of chapters (I always have the intention of reading the full book, but many times I never get around to it) I was captivated, and knew I would read the entire thing. It was horrifying and shocking to me that this book was reporting things that were going on in the United States of America, where I lived. Of course I had heard of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder before, but this gave me another level of insight on not only the people affected by it, but the system which they have to deal with. I remember before reading this book, I would go out and see a homeless person talking to themselves, and I would be legitimately frightened, as it was something of the unknown. What was wrong with them? That was all I could think of. Nowadays in society everyone has this belief that "crazy" people are "crazy" as a result of some traumatic experience of the past, whether it was child abuse, drug abuse, or rape. When parents see a homeless person, they often say "that's what drugs do to you." This book shows how wrong these assumptions can be. Pete Earely has given me so much knowledge on mental health and the mental health system and I truly appreciate it. I have a completely different view of the issues presented in this book now. This is a great read, and everyone should read it. And I promise they won't regret it.

Author Peter Earley's book "Crazy" tells two stories--that of his son, Mike, who had a bipolar episode in college and was arrested for breaking into a private home and damaging it, and that of his year-long investigation inside the Miami-Dade County jail in Miami. Earley uses his personal experience with his son and the experiences of those in the Miami-Dade County jail to illustrate how frustrating and idiotic the mental health laws are. He writes that the mentally ill used to be treated in state hospitals; now they are being arrested and the jails and prisons are the new asylums. Today, fewer than 55,000 of the mentally ill are treated in state hospitals. This is one-tenth the number treated in state hospitals in 1955. Earley says the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill was an unplanned social disaster. He writes, "Deinstitutionalization was a cruel hoax and the wholesale closings of state hospitals was abandonment, not freedom, for the chronically mentally ill." An emergency room doctor at the Virginia hospital where Earley's son was taken said he couldn't treat him because he had not harmed himself or others. And, the irony of the law is that someone who has been determined to be delusional and psychotic must give their consent to be treated. As the doctor said, "It's not against the law to be crazy." Yet, if a physician didn't treat a patient with obvious physical injuries, the physician would be accused of negligence and cruelty. Early frustrations and helplessness as a parent of a mentally ill child mirrored that of thousands of others. Earley says most of the mentally ill had no concept of what they were doing when they committed crimes. It's in society's best interest to help them get treatment, not lock them in jail. Earley spends a lot of time addressing the issue of the civil rights of the mentally ill. Although 80 percent of the mentally ill can be helped with antipsychotic medications, civil rights laws are used to prevent patients from receiving help. The current system is heavily biased against intervention and treatment. As a result, many of the mentally ill live on the streets like animals. Yet, as one physician said, "I've never had one person whom I had helped say to me, 'Doc, I wish you had left me crazy on the streets." Earley's profiles of several mentally ill people who were in the Miami-Dade County jail are disturbing and frustrating. While his son had a positive outcome, the same can't be said for others. This is the type of book that will stick with you a while, particularly if you have a friend or family member who has a mental illness. The way we treat mental illness in the United States is a disgrace. This book should be required reading for all politicians and legislators.

As a former bondsman the U.S. Jail system is no place for the mentally ill. No one wants the warehouse state hospitals back although some state hospitals are needed. Just as I read this book a California women who was mentally ill was awarded 1.5 million for fighting against a CHP officer for pulling her out of traffic on a highway. This book does a great job of showing the battles a family goes through trying to get their loved one care in current legal setting. The research is extensive and the work appreciated by me. I only hope legislatures read this book. It's easy to read and the relationships the author has with the subjects keep you wanting to know more about there stories. I'm glad I read it.

I found two problems with this 361-page book. First, it was written in 2006; and there have been many advances in mental health care in the intervening years. Second, the book has a somewhat narrow focus, i.e., relatively mild mental illness and its intersection with our criminal justice system. That said, it is an excellent introduction to the way that we deal with mental illness in America. The book is written from a personal perspective. The author was a reporter for The Washington Post. His college-age son was arrested for breaking into a house in New York, using the bathtub and generally damaging the property. Although mental health experts said that this event was the result of a bipolar condition of the brain, criminal charges were brought against the author's son. Pete Earley tried to get psychiatric help for his son but he soon discovered that he had no power to determine the medical treatment of his adult son. In the meanwhile, the criminal proceeding worsened. Earley then decided to conduct an investigation of the circumstances that confronted him. His search for knowledgeable authorities led him to Miami, and Dr. Joseph Portier, Judge Steven Leifman, Rachel Diaz, Judy Robinson and Tom Mullen. He describes the experiences of those persons, and then follows the actual experience of approximately eight inmates of the Miami mental health program. The descriptions are explicit. Earley offers the opinion that much of the present problem originated when the federal courts adopted a policy of "deinstitutionalization" which closed large mental health hospitals and unleashed many mentally ill persons into an environment that provided no mental health care. Earley argues - convincingly - that mentally ill persons do not belong in the criminal system, but there is no other place for them because the mental hospitals have been closed. The book repeatedly refers to the cause of mental illness as being a "chemical imbalance" in the brain, whereas the existing policies were developed under the assumption that mental illness was brought about by environmental factors. After the publication of this book, there have been additional studies that indicate neurological deficiencies as causes of mental illness. In fact, my attention to this book was brought about by an article in USA Today in which the National Institute of Mental Health stated that "mental disorders are biological disorders involving brain circuits." Pete Earley's comment was, "For too long, psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry have focused on finding ways to alleviate symptoms of severe mental disorders . . . we need a cure." I agree.

A times, it seems we have lost the notion of the father-son bond. Earley shows how strong and committed it really is. I felt this book because I know the trauma and frustration that he has endured, and ultimately the learning he accomplished for us all. But, it took a long to finish because it struck so close to home. For those who have a loved one who suffers from a brain disorder, Crazy is a must read. For the rest, you gain a glimpse into the dysfunction of the America's mental health care, legal, and street-living cycle, and know dehumanization and abandonment of people, our people, some of whom had the world at their feet. This is much broader than the media-visible and concerning VA. You have to firmly implant 60 million people in your mind and ask yourself, What are we doing? At a time when atmospheric climate seems to be the preoccupation of this Administration, you have to wonder why they declared May Mental Health Awareness Month and then there was nary a peep during the Mental Health Awareness Week. For those of us who participate in NAMI and care for our loved ones, we have little time to wonder. Our patience tested. Political Correctness exhausted. It is plain that only a grassroots endeavor has legs. Crazy is clearly part of our arsenal and a clarion call for access to residential life, employment, learning, and treatment. We need to climb out of the hole we have dug and think, design and act creatively. According to one of my support group members, "You yanks do this very well." We'll see.

I don't leave reviews. Ever. But, this book. It has made me cry, think, dream, reminisce, smile and worry. Lots of emotions. The book is well -written. A bit disjointed, for my taste, I had to go back and forth to remember what he was talking about. But, he is definitely a good writer... he draws you in and you become invested in every small story. The content of the book itself is extremely powerful. Easy to understand, but very dense and packed with information. I will have to read it again to make sure I truly understand the nuances behind every story written and the points he is trying to make. Warning: it is not for the faint of heart!

This about sums up the book for me. I had the wonderful pleasure of seeing Mr. Early speak at Grand Rounds at Western State Hospital in VA. Mr. Early spoke to a large room filled with hundreds of psychologists, psychiatrists, direct care staff and academicians. His presentation was empowering, energizing and thoughtful. His overall message was one that was informative. Mr. Early told the story of his son's unfortunate decent into mental illness, specifically Bi-polar disorder, with an overall message of how completely destroyed the mental health system is. As I work daily in a state hospital I see the misfortunes of this sick, ill-treated, ostracized population. Mr. Early provides a picture that is consistent with my own belief. America has shut down most of its state hospitals. The public is ignorant and fearful of this poor population. With nowhere to go, we are left to send these persons to jails and prisons...criminalized and without treatment. Early informs readers of the criminalization of the mentally ill with a tone of reform. His book serves to tell the story of his own struggle in trying to get his son treatment with a broader purpose of reform. Mr. Early is our times Dorthea Dix, without a doubt. He serves as a voice, a powerful one, for reform of America's mental health system. These persons need not be "treated" in jail but in a hospital. America has come full circle in a short amount of time. We were once without hospitals in America and abused and mistreated this population, then we built asylums, then they were closed. Mentally ill were "deinstitutionalized" thanks to drugs, and state and federal laws. Forgotten and further abused is more correct. Many know that deinstitutionalization failed before it started. America's mental health system is broken. We need hospitals again...yes in 2007, but let us learn this time from the mistakes of the last asylum boom so we do not repeat them again. Mr. Early did a wonderful job researching for this book and it shows in the writing. The book is very knowledgeable, thought provoking, understanding and caring. I recommend it for all, patients, families, staff, clinical staff, academicians, and the compassionate. These persons did not ask to be sick and mentally ill. "It could happen to any of us."

Because of the mental illness of his son, this author begins to investigate the legal system around ”crazy” people. What he had found was a broken one. Right to not take any medication or any treatment are examples of a dysfunctional legal act. The comes and goes from hospital to prison in a kind of a revolving door is another example. Some individuals histories and perspectives written inside, helps the reader understand some everyday difficulties involving ”nuts”. Patience, love, companionship, friendship, and hard work are all the tools that people with mental illness need to fight for minimal support to get ahead in their lives. The book also shows that the worst thing that could happen to those with mental health problems is to be let alone, to live or die by themselves. Excellent book, five stars for sure.

We all should be informed of the info contained in this book.

This was a really enjoyable read for anyone who is interested in mental illness. Early's first hand experience and expert writing allow this to be a highly informative but easy read.