The Burden of Sympathy - How Families Cope With Mental Illness
David A. Karp, Professor of Sociology, Boston College
Publication date: 13 June 2002
OUP USA 319 pages,
AMAZON - US
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195152441/darwinanddarwini/
AMAZON - UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195152441/humannaturecom/ A compassionate exploration of how to maintain one's own mental health while caring for another's Description "An enriching companion book for anyone seeking advice adn solace fro handling the issues that arise from loving someone with a mental illness as well as a commentary on the moral values of contemporary society."--Booklist "In this excellent, riveting work, David Karp explores the quandary of familial caregivers and how ethical obligations to those with emotional disturbances shed light on the ties that bind the whole of humanity together. I found in this remarkable book a clear moral vision ensconced in a series of page turning portraits depicting the mentally ill and of those who love them."--Lauren Slater, author of Prozac Diary and Lying: A Metaphorical Memoir "David Karp has captured the essence of caring and caregiving in his fine book. For family members of individuals with schizophrenia, manic-depressive illness, and severe depression, he accurately describes 'the social tango between emotionally ill people and those who try to help them.' This will be a useful book for families of mentally ill individuals.... I strongly recommend it."--E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., Executive Director, Stanley Foundation Research Programs, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Research Institute, and author of Surviving Schizophrenia "David Karp is a great ethnographer of disrupted lives, offering profound truths in clear prose, combining empathy with analysis. Burden of Sympathy gives eloquent voice to care givers; I know no other book that tells their story with such respect. This brilliant study offers personal validation, a model study of suffering and moral decision making, and a profound challenge to policy makers."--Arthur W. Frank, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Calgary and author of At the Will of the Body: Reflections on Illness and The Wounded Storyteller: Body, Illness, and Ethics What are the limits of sympathy in dealing with another person's troubles? Where do we draw the line between caring for a loved one, and being swallowed up emotionally by the obligation to do so? Quite simply, what do we owe each other? In this vivid and thoughtful study, David Karp chronicles the experiences of the family members of the mentally ill, and how they draw "boundaries of sympathy" to avoid being engulfed by the day-to-day suffering of a loved one. Readership: Families with history of mental illness, patients of mental illness, family practitioners, general audience. Contents/contributors
1 Illness and Obligation
2 Bearing Responsibility
3 Managing Emotions
4 Family Ties
5 The Four Cs
6 Surviving the System
7 Caring in Postmodern America