Dorothea Dix and Nelly Bly Autographing Book at NAMI Convention July 7 in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO - July 2, 2015 - PRLog -- Dorothea Dix (1802-1887) was an American crusader for improved services for the mentally ill and whose efforts created the first mental asylums in the US. Nellie Bly (1864-1922) was an American journalist who pretended to be insane and spent 10 days in an asylum in New York City to experience first hand the indignities suffered by the mentally ill.

Shot in the Head A Sister's Memoir, A Brother's Struggle describes a modern day tragedy in which first the parents and then the 10 siblings struggle attempting to deal with one member who has treatment resistant schizophrenia and is discharged form a hospital into the community where his needs are not properly attended to.

Eventually the brother, Paul, develops lung cancer and passes away.

As one of the siblings explains "The general theme is universal- many families have made sacrifices in order to support someone struggling with mental illness or end-of-life decisions and situations. This book deals with both. Our family happened to falter at some points and rally at others. We went from little communication to constant communication. I think Katherine shared what worked and didn't work in a way that others will learn from."

Another sibling pointed out that "Perhaps I am a little biased as Katherine is my sister and Paul my brother but the book is an excellent study of the impact of mental illness on a family and the difficulties society has meeting the needs of those who suffer from schizophrenia. The story is tragic but displays a roller coaster of emotions that help the average person to better understand Paul and other schizophrenics as persons in every way."

This book appeals to anyone with an empathetic heart, who likes to hear about families who support each other and work through difficult times.And the reviews on Amazon reflect that. In 20 reviews thus far, the rating is 4.8 out of 5. The comments are:

"Courageous story of a family's love and care for a brother transformed by mental illness"

"Beautifully written book about a very sad story"

"Memorable and Honest Memoir"

"Couldn't put this down!"

"Moving...."

"a gripping personal story of a family struggling with the USA's broken system to care for a brother living with mental illness"

And more all on Amazon plus others in Goodreads where Shot in the Head has 4.52 out of 5 stars in 13 reviews and 21 ratings.

During the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Convention, Shot in the Head A Sister's Memoir, A Brother's Struggle will be available at the convention book store near the exhibit hall on the ballroom level at the Hilton Union Square in San Francisco. The author will be signing copies on Tuesday July 7 from 1:30 to 2:30.

For those not attending, the book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a MIllion and others as well as in kindle, nook, kobo, google e-books and at the Apple I-book store.

For more information on the book, visit http://bridgeross.com/shotinthehead.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uUKBXM5rTc