Customer Reviews

We Heard the Angels of Madness

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I've been looking for this book for a long time, having read it several years ago when I really needed to know I was not alone. The excellant format of personal experience balanced with factual medical information was extremely helpful, especially as it traces each step in the process from diagnosis to ultimately living with the disease of manic-depression - both for family and the "diagnosee".
Having been diagnosed myself in 1978, long before bi-polar disorder became a household word, this was one of the few books to actually combine personal experience, familial perspective, and medical fact in a very readable book. It had me from the first incident of throwing a microwave through a plate glass window, then sitting down and waiting for the police to arrive. (In my view a definite cry for help!)

This book also gave me a parental perspective, thereby helping me to forgive my parents for the reactions they had and the actions they took in a time when there was little or no information available to them on manic-depression and it's manifestations. In addition, I was able to label some of my own thinking, (I came across the term "echolalia" for the first time) and discover elements of my actions actually were part of the disease, and not just my own "weirdness".

The thing I like best about this book today is that it is written by someone in the common walk of life. I have read Kay Jamison and Patty Duke, and have great respect for their contributions to the understanding of manic-depression/bi-polar disorder. I also own Mary Ann Copeland's books. But the Bergers are everyday people, and the biggest impact of their book (for me) is the hope inherent in their story: that despite the system, frustration and fear, love surmounts and life goes on.

Considering that Bi-Polar disorder has become the diagnosis of the decade, and the research that indicates the hereditary elements of manic-depression, I am glad to find this book again, so that I can be helpful to my daughters, should the need arise.

Definitely a "must-read" for anyone in the field of mental health, as well as anyone who knows anyone who has this disease.

As a longtime sufferer of Bipolar Illness, I found this account overly dramatic and somewhat misleading. First, Mark (the patient) is depicted as a pampered, privileged son of a doting, schizophrenigenic mother and a cold, unfeeling father. These superfluous characterizations make it difficult for the reader to curry any sympathy for any of them. Secondly, the presentation of his illness is uncharacteristic of most cases of Bipolar Illness. He clearly suffers severe delusions and hallucinations, but any periods of depression or manic excitement are practically non-existent. The book presents the illness more as a thought disorder than as an affective one. While there frequently is some overlap, this case presents more like schizophrenia. Lastly, the commentary by the mother is so sentimental as to be sappy. While the informational content is somewhat informative and entertaining, I would not choose this book as an authoritative source on Bipolar Illness.

This book served as a truly valuable resourse for me as when my son was diagnosed with this illness, I lived my life in a shroud of secrecy, unable to explain to anyone what I was going through as a parent. This book offerred hope to me and my family that this illness can be managed with the proper care and by becoming more knowledgeable of the illness.

Having a child with bi-polar illness, this has been absolutly an eye-opener for me. It has given me an insight of what goes on in his mind, by reading Marks words. The medical side of the book has all the info in one place of reference, which is wonderful, for a quick check on the recent drug prescribed, to understanding the diagnosis and why. I have shared this book with teaching professionals working with my child, and it has helped then in understanding where he is coming from and learning to deal with it. Thank You. I would recommend this book for absolutly any one

After my mother at 72 was diagnosed with Manic Depression, and finding out she has probably suffered with it all of her life, I searched for a easy to understand account of what we were dealing with. I easily connected with everything that the author was going through in the book. The endless trips to doctors, misdiagnosis, doctor's who really didn't look at the whole picture and seemed to busy for your problem, the frustration watching your loved one suffer. I just wish that I had read this account prior to all the turmoil we experienced these past six months. It was a great aid in understanding what to look for in the future. I recommend it highly

Written by a person with bipolar disorder and his mother, this bookis ba unique combination of a poignant retelling of experience anda collection of important facts for families. Chapters containing facts alternate with chapters about the experiences of Mark and his family. This book is an invaluable resource for people who are looking for information about bipolar disorder.

This is one family's unique story - do not buy this book for help. It's interesting; that's about it. Better yet - check it out from your local library and return it when you're done. Spend your money on reference materials that you will want to keep handy.