BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES, June 14, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Most families are unprepared for severe mental illness. Once they recognize that something is wrong, the family member is already in the throws of the illness, and experience severe denial and stigmatization. Sociologist and advocate Nanette Davis, Ph.D. wants everyone to know that mental illness is not only a mental disorder, but also a physical disease. “The topic of mental illness is slow to percolate through our culture. Through my books and promotion, I’m working hard to educate everyone about the illness side of mental health.”

Dr. Davis shares, “My sister was diagnosed with schizophrenia; my son, bipolar disease, both of which are just not mentionable topics. Only now are we beginning to be able to talk about severe mental illness as a brain disease that we just don’t understand enough about. In my latest book, Raging Currents: Mental Illness and Family, I lay out the process I went through, first with my sister back in the 60s, and then with my son from the 1980s through today.

“In the 1960s, my sister was really treated like an animal that had to be captured—which she was. Trying to get help for her after that initial experience was difficult (she had been physically attacked, put in a straight jacket, and isolated—all events that a healthy brain would find terrifying). Now my son, who has been through homelessness and neglect, is struggling with brain induced tremors. These events leave a mark on all family members.”

As a member of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), Dr. Davis has found support through her membership. “As a member of both national and local chapters, I found the interaction to be quite helpful. Although I’m no longer attending conferences, I can still turn to them for support.”

Dr. Davis has taught sociology at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Chapman University, and Portland State University in Oregon. With over four decades of experience as an educator, writer, advocate, researcher, and lecturer, Dr. Davis has written 13 scholarly books and over 100 articles including contributions to encyclopedias, research reports, book chapters, and reviews.

Raging Currents, her latest release published in 2023, has received six literary awards, including three from Chanticleer Book Review and Media located in Bellingham. In her book, Dr. Davis offers how-to-strategies for navigating the health care system, as well as realities of our current mental health programs. She also offers free blogs on family and mental illness on her website, Substack, Medium, and Facebook. “These are shorter pieces in which I share experiences with my family members to help readers understand the various aspects of mental illness,” explains Dr. Davis.

Dr. Davis has published eight academic books, and authored The ABCs of Caregiving—Words to Inspire You, Part 1 (2013) for those caring for a wounded warrior, parent, or spouse. The ABCs of Caregiving—Essential Information for You and Your Family, Part 2 (2015) offers practical suggestions on home health, advocacy, aging in place, community, assisted living, and more. Her third book, Caregiving Our Loved Ones: Stories and Strategies That Will Change Your Life (2013) shares blueprints that will help alter the course of a loved one’s illness.

Furthering her commitment to community, Dr. Davis is one of the founders of Bellingham At Home, a non-profit membership run entirely by volunteers. “Bellingham At Home is a wonderful organization, a virtual village, that helps seniors stay in their homes through the great work of volunteers who provide much-needed assistance such as transportation for those no longer able to drive,” shares Dr. Davis. “Volunteers often become clients as they age, so this is a great opportunity to pay forward into our community.”

With a mission to help everyone recognize that mental illness is all around us, Dr. Davis shares, “My mother died at age 65 from alcohol-induced livers Cirrhosis. My father swore to the last day of his breath that she died from a heart problem, and constantly encouraged everyone in the family to have their hearts checked. Out of 10 grandchildren, five are alcoholics or have a diagnosed mental illness—so the mental illness pattern most definitely goes on. But, now that my family is educated about this topic, they’re tuned in and seek help and recovery. For this reason, I will continue educating until the day I no longer breathe. I am always educating.”

Close Up Radio will feature Nanette Davis in an interview with Jim Masters on Tuesday, June 18th at 5:00 pm EST

Listen to the show on BlogTalkRadio

If you have any questions for our guest, please call (347) 996-3389

For more information about Nanette Davis, please visit http://www.abcsofcaregiving.com

Lou Ceparano
Close Up Television & Radio
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