Do you come from a family that has been marked by mental illness?

Many of us do, and it's not even the mental illness that breaks us down.

It's the silence.

They're not talking about it, the hiding it, the closed doors when we reach out to the

systems that are supposed to help us.

Today is going to be a little different.

I'm talking with Meg Kissinger who grew up in an environment that on the surface seemed

like an entirely privileged existence.

However, beneath the surface was a loving family doing their best in the 60s while struggling

with serious mental illness.

Unfortunately, those struggles ended in suicide more than once.

In our conversation, we explore the fact that mental illness does not discriminate, and

that the things that are the most helpful aren't always what you expect.

Welcome back to Savvy Psychologist.

I'm your host, Dr. Monica Johnson.

Every week on this show, I'll help you face life challenges with evidence-based approaches,

a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

I am so pleased to have Meg Kissinger here today who wrote The Memoir while you were out

an intimate family portrait of mental illness in an era of silence.

I just want to start off, Meg, by asking, why was it so important for you to write this

book?

Yeah, well, thank you for that question, and thank you for having me on your show.

...