In this interview, award-winning journalist Meg Kissinger discusses her new memoir, "While You Were Out," which delves into her family's struggles with mental illness. She highlights the silence and shame surrounding mental health issues and how it affected her family. Kissinger emphasizes the need for better coordination within the mental health care system, stating that doctors don't communicate with each other and insurance companies often deny claims.
She shares her personal experiences growing up in a large, Irish Catholic family in Chicago, where mental health issues were not discussed. Two of her siblings, Nancy and Danny, tragically took their own lives. Kissinger reflects on the impact this had on the family dynamic and the message it sent about not talking about such issues.
Kissinger encourages open communication and mutual support among family members dealing with mental health issues. She credits her brother Jake, who lives with depression and anxiety, for being open about his struggles and reaching out for help when needed. Kissinger believes her book can help families dealing with similar tragedies, providing them with a sense of lesson and support.
1. Meg Kissinger, an award-winning journalist, spent decades reporting on mental health.
2. She wrote a memoir titled "While You Are Out," which is an intimate family portrait of mental illness.
3. The book explores her family's struggles with depression, anxiety, alcoholism, and the suicides of her siblings Nancy and Danny.
4. Kissinger accessed medical records, police reports, and spoke to her five surviving brothers and sisters for her research.
5. The book presents the family's unspoken way of dealing with these situations, which often fueled shame and blame.
6. Kissinger criticizes the mental health care system, stating it is not a system at all.
7. She argues that doctors don't communicate with each other, insurance companies deny claims quickly, and there is a lack of coordination.
8. Kissinger was first aware that something was not right with her family when she was five years old, as her mother disappeared without explanation.
9. Years later, she learned that her mother was suffering from postpartum depression, which was not widely discussed or treated.
10. Two of Kissinger's siblings, Nancy and Danny, took their own lives.
11. The family kept the suicides secret, which Kissinger believes sent a subliminal message not to discuss mental health issues.
12. All surviving family members participated in the book.
13. Kissinger advises other families dealing with similar tragedies to talk openly and be there for one another.
14. Her brother Jake, who struggles with depression and anxiety, is open and willing to discuss his struggles.
15. Kissinger's book, "While You Are Out," is available for purchase and aims to help many families dealing with mental health issues.