Mad House: Growing Up in the Shadow of Mentally Ill Siblings [Paperback]

Clea Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1998

In classic books such as Girl, Interrupted and When Rabbit Howls, the mentally ill depict their own harrowing worlds. In Mad House we have an account of the devastating effects of mental illness on the lives of those who share their world--the healthy siblings of those afflicted. Clea Simon was shattered when her older brother, Daniel, a freshman at Harvard, began hearing voices, making it impossible for him to function. He later committed suicide. Schizophrenia next claimed her sister, Katherine, who has moved from one institution to another after refusing any help from her family. Simon, who spoke with hundreds of other siblings of the mentally ill and with experts in the field, confronts the issues healthy siblings face, from guilt (Why do I deserve to be okay?) to fear (Will illness claim me or my children next?) to anger at being neglected by parents overwhelmed by the needs of the mad child. Part memoir, part practical guide, Mad House is a compelling and compassionate book destined to help many people come to terms, as Simon has, with the unique pain of living with a sibling's mental illness.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Tales of family dysfunction have become so commonplace that a postcard witticism suggests that a conference for children of functional families would be sparsely attended. Certainly Clea Simon, whose two older siblings were gripped by schizophrenia in their teens, wouldn't be there. She lays out a bleak, affecting story of growing up in a family where the spotlight necessarily shone on the insistent dissociations of a brother she remembers as once gentle and brilliant and a sister whose screeching, violent terrors sent young Simon scrambling for safety. Cogent explanations of mental illness and slices of therapy interweave with Simon's stories and those of similarly besieged families and siblings who must dismantle huge emotional barricades in order to live fully as adults. Sometimes this mix is uneasy, such as when a professionally cool distance too swiftly replaces the white heat of painful memories. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA. As the much younger sister of schizophrenic siblings, Simon grew up in terror and confusion. Her brother first rejected her, and then became sexually abusive before she entered her teens, thus setting the stage for her future relationships with men. Her sister became vicious as her illness intensified. The enduring memories of a sadistic grin, a crushed pet hamster, and fear for her own life colored the author's attitudes toward other women as she matured. Her parents' desperation and the removal of both siblings from the home to institutions created a pattern of rejection and abandonment in the young girl's mind for anyone who caused parental disapproval. Interspersed with interviews, descriptions, and conclusions from the siblings of other mentally ill patients, the book depicts the dysfunctional effects of living with madness. This is an important book for young adults living in such situations. The implications of genetic predisposition, pharmaceutical treatments, and prognoses are clearly explained. Many issues are covered with sensitivity and a sense of "you are not alone." A short list of recommended reading is included.?Carol DeAngelo, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140274340
• ISBN-13: 978-0140274349
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Schizophrenia
  • #24 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Siblings

More About the Author

Hi! Welcome to my Amazon Connect page. I don't know if you found me because you like fun feline mysteries you might be wondering about my upcoming "Dogs Don't Lie." Yup, it's got a dog in it - but my new heroine, the animal psychic Pru Marlowe, couldn't function without her sidekick, an irascible tabby named Wallis. Meanwhile, I hope you are enjoying my Theda Krakow series - "Mew is for Murder," "Cattery Row," "Cries and Whiskers," or "Probable Claws" - and my Dulcie Schwartz series (think cats AND ghosts!) with "Shades of Grey," "Grey Matters," or the upcoming "Grey Zone." Or perhaps we share some family issues, and you're looking at "Mad House" or "Fatherless Women." Or maybe you just love cats and are interested in my "The Feline Mystique." At any rate, good to meet you! I'm a writer and journalist, an avid reader, and am looking forward to making this page lively and fun.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perceptive memoir & low-key self-help tool, May 8, 2000

By 

Carol S. (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mad House: Growing Up in the Shadow of Mentally Ill Siblings (Paperback)

Having "acquired" through marriage two family members with bipolar disorder, I have sought to educate myself about mental illness and its effect on the family. I found "Mad House" to be a perceptive and instructive look at the secondary victims of mental illness: siblings of the patient. The author's personal experiences as the sister of two schizophrenics is interwoven with explanations of current scientific research about serious mental illness as well as psychotherapeutic insights about how the experience of growing up with a mentally ill sibling can affect others in the household. The memoir-ish portions of the book bring comfort in the form of knowing one is not the only person to have so suffered (and mental illness is one of the last great bastions of shame, secrecy and guilt left in our culture). The summaries of recent research are great educational tools. And if you are struggling with personal issues arising out of your experience as a sibling of a mentally ill person, then the matter-of-fact explanations of common behavioral and emotional patterns will give you insight -- self-help without the twelve steps or touchy-feely-wallowing-in-my-angst element that can be off-putting. Be advised that the book focuses on the special issues that siblings of the mentally ill face (as opposed to parents, or children, or spouses, for example) and the discussion does center on schizophrenia and related disorders, with only a passing nod to bipolar disorder, depression and other illnesses. But this skillfully written book contains plenty of empathy and perception for anyone interested in the mental health field.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a book for all of us!, December 1, 1999

By 

E. J. Keel "nashville sparkle" (Nashville, Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Mad House: Growing Up in the Shadow of Mentally Ill Siblings (Paperback)

My brother is schizophrenic and for many years while the family focus has been on his illness, I have felt at varying times sorrow, anger, grief, but above all loneliness. It is gratifying to find an author who gives words to these feelings. Clea Simon in _Mad House_ has done a masterful job of holding the mirror to the families who deal with the tragedy of mental illness. Her book tells the story of the brothers and sisters who sit in the quiet corners of home and watch unpredictable, uncontrollable and terrifying events unfold. I highly recommend this book to any brother, sister, or parent of a person who has been diagnosed as mentally ill. We can learn and grow from her experiences and by helping ourselves, we can help those in our care.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maelstrom of Mental Illness, August 27, 2000

By 

BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mad House: Growing Up in the Shadow of Mentally Ill Siblings (Paperback)

Clea is the luckiest of her siblings. Her older brother Daniel, a brilliant boy, showed signs of psychosis in early adulthood. He somehow managed to attend Harvard and upon leaving the renowned university, succumbs to his illness. He marries a woman from his halfway house and they have a daughter. The brother commits suicide and the baby remains unheard from. Clea was in college at the time of her brother's death and her parents curiously give her a false account of how her brother killed himself. That is never explained.

Clea's sister Katherine/Althea appears to be the most unstable. She, too, started showing signs of the illness in late adolescence and was barely able to fight her psychosis and finish high school. She lived from hospital to halfway house, never really finding her niche. Her erratic behavior precluded her from staying at halfway houses and in one memorable account in the book, a landlady requested that her parents come and collect her after she defecated on a mattress. She remained a "living" casualty of mental illness; at the close of the book, Clea did not even know where she was.

Clea is a strong voice, a strong advocate for the families of the mentally ill. Her poignant book is yet another reminder that mental illness is often a family illness because of the tragic impact it has on non-mentally ill members.