A Burden to Be Well: Sisters and Brothers of the Mentally Ill

Click Here for MP3 Audio of Entire Documentary (5.6 MB)

"A Burden to Be Well: Sisters and Brothers of the Mentally Ill" is a radio documentary written and produced by WFCR’s Karen Brown, and edited by Mary Beth Kirchner from American RadioWorks. Additional editing help came from John Dankosky of WNPR, Connecticut Public Radio.

Deb with Audrey (left) and Rose Stanas: family members in Southern New Hampshire. Not pictured: Olivia Stanas and Bruce Stanas

The devastating effects of mental illness have been well documented in films, books, and academia. But until recently, there's been little said about the sisters and brothers of the mentally ill. If, as many experts agree, one out of five Americans, or 40 million people, have a serious mental illness, their siblings must number at least twice that many. A body of research on what's called a "well-sibling" syndrome is starting to emerge -- along with a growing number of personal memoirs.

Clea Simon, author of Madhouse: Growing up in the Shadow of Mentally Ill Siblings

This documentary focuses on the issues and emotions that face the sisters and brothers of people with mental illness. These siblings often feel ignored by family, health care providers, and society at large while the ill sibling takes up most of the available attention. Meanwhile, these siblings may be suffering in their own right – from the trauma of exposure to mental illness, the grief of watching a sibling lose control, the responsibility of caring for an ill sibling, and the guilt of being the "healthy one."

"A Burden to Be Well" follows closely two sets of siblings – coping with different stages of mental illness – with additional expert commentary and research. The project was supported by a Rosalynn Carter Fellowship in Mental Health Journalism. It took almost a year to complete.

This is a follow-up to Karen Brown's previous radio documentary, "The Wild Child: Coping with a Bipolar Youth," which won a National Edward R. Murrow Award, and a National Mental Health Association Award, among others.

Pam and Carolyn Spiro, authors, Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia

CD copies of "A Burden to Be Well" are available for $15. Please make checks or money orders payable to WFCR and allow two-to-three weeks for delivery. Address requests to:

Cara Kaifé Foster
WFCR-FM
Hampshire House
Amherst, MA 01003
ckfoster@wfcr.org or 413-545-3176

Two Sisters Cope with Bipolar Disorder (click to hear audio)

Kerry and Debbie Lusignan are sisters living in Western Massachusetts. Debbie, 34, has struggled with bipolar disorder most of her life. But for years, through her adolescence and early adulthood, Debbie's illness was undiagnosed, leaving her at the mercy of debilitating highs and lows. During this time, the sisters remember their parents were consumed by their own problems and did little to help. Only recently did Debbie find a medication that's dramatically stabilized her moods, although she's still unable to work. Meanwhile, Kerry, now 37, became a psychotherapist for adolescents.

The two sisters now look back on their relationship through the turbulent years, and how mental illness almost destroyed it. They spoke with WFCR’s Karen Brown at Kerry Lusignan's home in Conway, Massachusetts. The interview starts with Debbie remembering how she felt as a child.

Schizophrenia and Four Decades of Caretaking (click to hear audio)

Karen Brown follows up her documentary with the story of two brothers -- Peter and Larry Ruhf -- who cared for a schizophrenic older brother for four decades.

Living with Depression in the Family -- Interview with Julie Totten (click to hear audio)

Julie Totten grew up with a brother and father who suffered from major depression. But they went undiagnosed, with tragic consequences. After her brother took his own life, Totten did research about depression and went on to start "Families for Depression Awareness," a national resource and advocacy organization in Waltham, Massachusetts (www.familyaware.org). Totten talked with WFCR's Karen Brown about what it was like to grow up with two people suffering from mental illness, starting with the early signs she noticed in her brother.

Live Interview with Karen Brown from WNPR, Connecticut Public Radio

RESOURCES ON SIBLINGS AND MENTAL ILLNESS:

WFCR provides the following resources without any endorsement of the agencies and individuals listed.

Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation
Online support and resource network for families dealing with early onset bipolar disorder
www.bpkids.org

National Alliance on Mental Illness
National advocacy and support group for family members of people with mental illness
www.nami.org

Schizophrenia.com
Schizophrenia.com is a non-profit web community dedicated to providing information, support and education to the family members, caregivers and individuals whose lives have been impacted by schizophrenia.

Families for Depression Awareness
National nonprofit providing education and support for family members of people with depressive disorders.
www.familyaware.org

OTHER BOOKS AND WEBSITES:

Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and their Journey through Schizophrenia, by Carolyn Spiro, MD and Pamela Spiro Wagner
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312320647/102-9419714-1761705?v=glance&n=283155

Pamela Spiro Wagner’s blog on Schizophrenia.com
www.schizophrenia.com/pam/

Madhouse: Growing up in the Shadow of Mentally Ill Siblings, by Clea Simon
www.cleasimon.com

The Normal One: Life with a Difficult or Damaged Sibling, by Jeanne Safer
www.jeannesafer.com

Troubled Journey, by Diane Marsh and Rex Dickens
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0874778751/102-9419714-1761705?v=glance&n=283155

Serious Mental Illness in the Family, by Diane Marsh
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471181803/102-9419714-1761705?v=glance&n=283155

Surviving Schizophrenia, by E. Fuller Torre
www.psychlaws.org/PressRoom/Bio1.htm

Stanley Medical Institute
www.stanleyresearch.org

Imagining Robert, by Jay Neugeboren
(and a film by Florentine Films)
www.florentinefilms.org/imagrob/index.htm

Unholy Ghost, Nell Casey, ed.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060007826/002-6342374-1599262?v=glance&n=283155