What I’m Reading: A Common Struggle

Following on the heals of Our Towns, I dove into a very different book that is also attached to my research interests. This time mental health and addiction. I sadly missed the opportunity to hear Congressman Patrick Kennedy speak about his life and his book A Common Struggle when I was at Stockton University. I regret not seeing him speak then, but am happy that I could still read his memoir.

As the jacket suggests, this book “weaves together Kennedy’s private and professional narratives…” Its central tenant is that mental illness and addiction are diseases, not moral failings. Kennedy makes this argument through not only his personal story of bipolar disorder and substance abuse, but also the story of his broader family. He particularly highlights his mother’s alcoholism and father’s abuse of alcohol that he was unable to admit. He also weaves in his aunts Eunice Kennedy Shriver (founder of the Special Olympics) and Rosemary Kennedy (who was lobotomized and institutionalized due to mental illness).

This was a powerful read for me. It was only recently that I have been directly impacted by chronic mental health challenges. My mom suffered from lifelong depression and took her own life in 2017. The trauma of that loss made what were previously episodic issues with anxiety grew into chronic anxiety. I also have fortunately not been impacted by addiction. I say all of this because Kennedy’s honest description of both his journey to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and struggles with addiction provided a first-hand account of things that I study at a population/community/policy level, but have largely not experienced personally. It is easy for those of us studying policy to be detached from the everyday experiences of those affected by societal and individual problems. Reading Kennedy’s story was helpful in humanizing the issues of mental health and addiction.

His book is also important for making the argument that mental illness and addiction are medical issues. He chronicles the medical and counseling services that he tried throughout his struggles. At the same time, he weaves in his efforts at passing the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act in 2008. What struck me the deepest when reading his story was that the goal of mental health policy work should not only be to overcome remaining stigma and develop appropriate multifaceted treatments, but also to make it so that you do not have to be a Kennedy to access all of the care that he describes throughout the book. The struggle maybe be common, as Kennedy argues, but access to treatment is clearly not. He had great privilege that allowed him to access care at places like the Mayo Clinic. It is striking that if even he had difficulty in getting his bipolar disorder and addiction under control, it is all the more difficult for those that do not have the resources to continually seek different types of care. All should have this right, it should not be a privilege of wealth.

One response

  1. A worthwhile and honest read if you are looking for information on how this country has struggled to help those with mental illness and addiction. This is not a “tell all” about the Kennedy family but one man’s unflinching look at his lifelong struggle with disease. Bravo, Mr. Kennedy. #StafSafe #StayAtHome #Covid-19

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *