The perfect follow-up to “You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health,” “You Are Not Alone for Parents and Caregivers: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Your Child’s Mental Health” is the resource for every trusted adult helping a child or young adult manage their mental health.
Millions of people in the United States are affected by mental illness every year. Unfortunately, the mental health care system remains chaotic, underfunded and often inaccessible, and many people are asking themselves the same questions: What if my insurance company won’t cover my treatment? Will I have to be on medication my whole life? Will I ever feel better?
People experiencing mental illness and their families and friends are often unsure how to navigate this system, deal with financial and logistical issues and handle the emotional challenges of mental illness.
“You Are Not Alone,” NAMI’s first ever book, is here to offer help. Written by Dr. Ken Duckworth with the expertise of a leading psychiatrist and the empathy of a family member affected by mental illness, this comprehensive guide includes stories from over 130 people who have been there — including people with mental illness and caregivers — and understand how challenging it can be to find the help you need, when you need it. Their stories are what makes this book different from your typical mental health guide.
The book covers how to get help, pathways to recovery, the intersection of culture and mental health, and many more important topics to guide any person’s mental health journey. NAMI’s hope is that this guide can help people find that key help and support sooner and make recovery more accessible to those trying to find it. All royalties for the book will go back to NAMI to support our mission to improve the lives of all Americans affected by mental illness.
Ken Duckworth, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and has been the medical director since 2003. He is also assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and an adjunct clinical assistant professor of health and policy management at the Boston University School of Public Health. Dr. Duckworth has served as a board member of the American Association for Community Psychiatry and worked for years as a psychiatrist on an assertive community treatment team. He lives near Boston, Massachusetts.
Read more on “You Are Not Alone” and the expertise of lived experience in Dr. Duckworth’s op-ed article.
YANA made it onto the USA Today best-selling books list of the top 150 books in the U.S.
We are excited to share that Mashable has listed NAMI’s first-ever book, “You Are Not Alone,” as one of Best Mental Health Books of 2022. Senior Features writer Rebecca Ruiz describes the book as an “impressive, exhaustive” guide and applauds Dr. Ken Duckworth’s “empathetic voice” that conveys the complexity of our mental health journeys.
In this invaluable book, Dr. Duckworth amplifies the voices of real people who have dealt with mental illness, both doctors and patients. His crowd-sourced method will help people facing similar challenges feel connected to a vast community. If you read this book, you cannot feel alone in your struggles.”
– Andrew Solomon, Author of “The Noonday Demon” And “Far From The Tree”
Wonderful and necessary. Dr. Duckworth provides excellent clinical information and practical advice, placing it within the deeply human context provided by those who know firsthand the pain of depression, trauma, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.”
– Kay Redfield Jamison, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and author of “An Unquiet Mind”
Families dealing with mental illness, which means virtually all families, need a guide that conveys hope, wisdom, and actionable information. You Are Not Alone is that guide. Unlike previous books, this is a practical guide to help all of us navigate the stormy seas of a loved one’s mental illness. A must-read.”
– Thomas Insel, MD, Former Director of The National Institutes of Mental Health and author of “Healing”
A unique, hopeful catalog of first-person lived experience with mental health collated by a humane, experienced clinician. These shared journeys will help others feel less isolated and overwhelmed. Highly recommended as an essential guide for every physician, mental health provider, and program dealing with any aspect of mental health. You Are Not Alone is a treasure.”
– Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD, author of “What Happened To You?”
Help NAMI Promote “You Are Not Alone”. Our social media toolkit is now available to help spread the word about this essential resource. Here you will find sample graphics, social media copy and a printable flyer.
NAMI HelpLine is available M-F, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. ET. Call 800-950-6264,
text “helpline” to 62640, or chat online. In a crisis, call or text 988 (24/7).
