Because I Come From a Crazy Family

On June 12, I came out with a new book, Because I Come from a Crazy Family: The Making of a Psychiatrist. My 20th book, this one is unlike any I've written before. This one is a memoir. It contains no advice whatsoever. It tells the story of my rather unusual childhood, my years in medical school, and then my years in psychiatric training at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center in Boston.

The book is funny, full of eccentric and interesting characters, and is a celebration of difference. It is my hope that by being open about how crazy my own family was, others will feel permission to be open as well. The fact is, most families have some craziness in them one way or another. The need is great to blast away the stigma and shame that prevent millions of people from getting the help that could allow them to lead much happier and more productive lives.

In no field of medicine is the science further ahead of the consumption of the science by patients than in psychiatry. This is because of stigma. Depression is the leading cause of lost work days in this country and around the world, and yet most people do not get treatment. 90% of people who have substance use disorder get no treatment. 90%! That is a staggering fact. Most people do not even know that we have excellent medical treatments—medications—for substance use disorders so that people do not have to rely only on twelve step programs any longer. While people routinely get screened for diabetes and high blood pressure, people shy away from getting screened for depression, substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, or ADHD, all of which are highly treatable conditions with excellent outcomes once diagnosed and treated.

By opening up about my wonderful—and chaotic and crazy—family, I am hoping others will do the same. The human comedy—and life is one sprawling, gigantic comedy—is teeming with madness of all kinds. Genius and madness usually mingle. It is rare to find someone who has extraordinary talent who doesn't have one or another of the conditions we psychiatrists can diagnose and treat. For that reason I often say, "I don't treat disabilities, I unwrap gifts."

If we can all be open and honest about who we truly are, and if we invite others to do the same, this world will become a happier, healthier, and far more productive place for us all.