Out of the Shadows Confronting America's Mental Illness Crisis

A powerful indictment of how we treat people suffering from acute mental disease."The New York Times Book Review. "An important book...Timely and very well-written."San Francisco Chronicle Now in paper! Our mental health system has dismally failed to serve the growing number of people suffering from serious psychiatric disturbance-with far-reaching implications for community safety, family health, and the well-being of the mentally ill themselves. This compellingly argued and compassionate book by one of the nation2s leading experts describes how this happened and exactly what we can do about it. These compelling examples illustrate just a small part of the mental illness crisis in America. Out of the Shadows explores the causes of the crisis and the tragic toll it is having on individuals, families, and communities across the country. This hard-hitting book also offers E. Fuller Torrey2s recommendations to fix the problem. Basing his ideas on actual programs, Torrey offers policy that blends compassion and assistance for this neglected segment of society. A timely and controversial look at a part of the health care system receiving intense scrutiny. Reform ideas include legalizing involuntary commitment, shifting the responsibility to states, and depoliticizing mental illness. E. FULLER TORREY, MD, (Bethesda, Maryland) is the author of Surviving Schizophrenia, which has sold more than 225,000 copies.

E. FULLER TORREY, M.D., is a research psychiatrist at the Neuroscience Center of the National Institute of Mental Health. He is also the author of fifteen books, including the bestselling Surviving Schizophrenia, which has been described as the "bible" of the mentally ill and their families.