We Heard the Angels of Madness [Paperback]

Lisa & Diane Berger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 1992

When eighteen-year-old Mark returned home from his first semester at college, his family thought he was on drugs. In fact, he was suffering from manic depression, a devastating mental illness that affects millions of Americans and their loved ones.

Diane Berger is Mark's mother and Lisa Berger is Diane's sister. Together they share both the intimate and inspiring story of how their family coped with Mark's illness and the valuable information they gathered about manic depression over the course of his treatment: up-to-date facts on drugs, doctors, therapy, insurance, and other resources. They reveal how to identify the symptoms of manic depression and avoid a false diagnosis, which treatments work and which don't -- as well as the emotional experience of a mother battling for the sanity and well-being of her child.

Here is the story of emotional and dramatic power; here also is an invaluable guidebook through the medical mazes and challenges of surviving mental illness.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The mother and sister of a manic-depressive teen relate the facts about the illness and describe how their family coped.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...will be invaluable to anyone with a close friend or relative suffering from manic depressive illness." -- Harrison G. Pope, Jr., M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

"A wealth of detail and insight here..." -- Senator Pete Domenici and Nancy Domenici, Board of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill

"An excellent depiction of the reality of manic depressive disease as told from the family's inside view..." -- Donald F. Klein, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University

"An uncommonly useful book that should he a godsend to any family having amember afflicted with manic depression" -- Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (June 29, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688116159
• ISBN-13: 978-0688116156
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,480,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a must-read book for people affected by bipolar dis, November 4, 1999

By 

Susan Scammon (Blue Hill, ME) - See all my reviews

This review is from: We Heard the Angels of Madness (Paperback)

This book tells the story of a young man who suffers from bipolar disorder, and how the illness affects his life and the lives of everyone around him. It is narrated by his mother, with his recalled thoughts entered throughout. As a person with bipolar disorder myself, I found it hit very close to home.An excellent read for anyone affected by manic-depression, and for those friends and family who surround them.

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We Heard the Angels of Madness, July 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: We Heard the Angels of Madness (Paperback)

This book has a healthy mix of maternal and medical perspectives. Each chapter by authors Diane and Lisa Berger that spell out life with a bipolar, young-adult child written through a mother's eyes is followed by a chapter from a medical point of view. Because it is written in such an warm, easy style, it feels like we are talking with an old friend as we are taken from the initial denial at diagnosis, through the maze of today's incredibly complex, often contradictory mental health system, ending at a realistic understanding of bipolar disorder and what can be expected from treatment.

Although the primary premise is to develop an awareness of bipolar disorder, any parent would relate to this mother's struggle through a child's difficult adolescence and ultimately knowing when it is time to let go.

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A real downer of a book, but perhaps a must-read., August 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: We Heard the Angels of Madness (Paperback)

It's hard to reccomend this book. It's horribly depressing. The central character, Mark, develops extremely severe bipolar disorder to the extent he has delusions and hears voices that tell him what to do, for instance, throwing his microwave oven through a deli's plate glass window. Still, for anyone suffering from bipolar disorder or their family this book is almost bound to make you feel better, as in "Thank God my family member's illness isn't THAT severe." There's a lot of useful information as well, such as discussions of the financial impact of a family member with bpd, and the frustrations with MD's and "the system" a family can expect in trying to help. As in life, there's no happy ending to this book. Read it, but be prepared for a kick in the pants.