Author Jeanie Wolfson

Jeanie Wolfson is back to talk a little more about her book, It's Not Mental and how her daughter Keri is doing now. It's a courageous story of reaching out and in to a mentally disabled child and what you can do to help.

It's Not Mental: Finding Innovative Support and Medical Treatment for a Child Diagnosed with a Severe Mental Illness

Can a child diagnosed with a mental illness, i.e., a brain disorder, in reality have a physical illness--a disorder affecting the brain?

"It's Not Mental" is the compelling yet educational story of Keri, a highly intelligent, learning-disabled child diagnosed with mental illness. It is also the story of her parents' persistence in finding help for their daughter, help that ultimately led to a future filled with promise.

Sleep dysfunction, body pains, attentional difficulties, tics, obsessions, mood swings, and hallucinations, gradually diminished her quality of life. Before reaching her teens, she'd been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and several co-occurring conditions, while underlying issues were ignored.

Keri's parents struggled to find comprehensive medical care for their daughter. What they found instead were doctors too busy to listen or too rigid to look beyond a "mental" diagnosis. Without an integrated approach to her care, Keri, like many children in similar circumstances, became subject to a merry-go-round of psychiatric medications.