Truth be told, I’d never heard of Lucinda Bassett. Maybe I need to get out more, but her books on anxiety and stress were unknown to me–until last week. A publicist for the bestselling author contacted me about reading her new memoir. I said OK, thinking that I really didn’t have the time.
But sometimes God has a way of reaching down and yanking me. It’s kind of a “Pay attention!” thing. I’d been contacted as a fellow blogger, and I’ve rarely mentioned my personal life here on the blog.
So how did Bassett know that some of my family members struggle with serious mental health issues? While so far no suicides have occurred, I know firsthand how it is to be filled with guilt, shame, isolation and yes, anger as I do the best I can to support and love my loved ones–who are doing the best that they can.
Truth Be Told: a Memoir of Success, Suicide and Survival (releasing in March 2013 from Sterling Publishing) is the story of how Bassett learned to cope after her husband’s onset of mental illness and his subsequent suicide. In the few pages I read, lithium was mentioned, so I suspect that bipolar disorder played a role. I found Bassett’s story painful, yet hopeful, a courageous answer to the tenacious stigma which mental illness and suicide leave on everyone they touch. I applaud Lucinda Bassett for speaking about the unspeakable, for telling an uncomfortable story that for me, was all too familiar. I recommend Truth Be Told to anyone struggling to cope with a loved one’s mental illness or, God forbid, suicide.
Lucinda Bassett is the acclaimed author of From Panic to Power and other books on anxiety. She has appeared on many national television programs and hosts a popular radio program, LA Talk Live. Find her book here.
