The Burden of Sympathy: How Families Cope With Mental Illness (Ons Helde-reeks)

what Are The Limits Of Sympathy In Dealing With Another Person's Troubles? Where Do We Draw The Line Between Caring For A Loved One, And Being Swallowed Up Emotionally By The Obligation To Do So? Quite Simply, What Do We Owe Each Other? In This Vivid And Thoughtful Study, David Karp Chronicles The Experiences Of The Family Members Of The Mentally Ill, And How They Draw Boundaries Of Sympathy To Avoid Being Engulfed By The Day-to-day Suffering Of A Loved One. Working From Sixty Extensive Interviews, The Author Reveals Striking Similarities In The Experiences Of Caregivers: The Feelings Of Shame, Fear, Guilt And Powerlessness In The Face Of A Socially Stigmatized Illness; The Frustration Of Navigating The Complex Network Of Bureaucracies That Govern The Mental Health System; And Most Of All, The Difficulty Negotiating An Appropriate Level Of Involvement With The Mentally Ill Loved One While Maintaining Enough Distance For Personal Health. Throughout The Narratives, Karp Sensitively Explores The Overarching Question Of How People Strike An Equilibrium Between Reason And Emotion, Between Head And Heart, When Caring For A Catastrophically Ill Person. the Burden Of Sympathy Concludes With A Critical Look At What It Means To Be A Moral And Caring Person At The Turn Of The Century In America, When Powerful Cultural Messages Spell Out Two Contradictory Imperatives: Pursue Personal Fulfillment At Any Cost And Care For The Family At Any Cost. An Insightful, Deeply Caring Look At Mental Illness And At The Larger Picture Of Contemporary Values, the Burden Of Sympathy Is Required Reading For Caregivers Of All Kinds, And For Anyone Seeking Broader Understanding Of Human Responsibility In The Postmodern World. What Are The Limits Of Sympathy In Dealing With Another Person's Troubles? Where Do We Draw The Line Between Caring For A Loved One, And Being Swallowed Up Emotionally By The Obligation To Do So? Quite Simply, What Do We Owe Each Other? In This Study, David Karp Chronicles The Experiences Of The Family Members Of The Mentally Ill, And How They Draw Boundaries Of Sympathy To Avoid Being Engulfed By The Day-to-day Suffering Of A Loved One. Working From Sixty Extensive Interviews, The Author Reveals Striking Similarities In The Experiences Of Caregivers: The Feelings Of Shame, Fear, Guilt And Powerlessness In The Face Of A Socially Stigmatized Illness; The Frustration Of Navigating The Complex Network Of Bureaucracies That Govern The Mental Health System; And Most Of All, The Difficulty Negotiating An Appropriate Level Of Involvement With The Mentally Ill Loved One While Maintaining Enough Distance For Personal Health. Throughout The Narratives, Karp Sensitively Explores The Overarching Question Of How People Strike An Equilibrium Between Reason And Emotion, Between Head And Heart, When Caring For A Catastrophically Ill Person. The Burden Of Sympathy Concludes With A Critical Look At What It Means To Be A Moral And Caring Person At The Turn Of The Century In America, When Powerful Cultural Messages Spell Out Two Contradictory Imperatives: Pursue Personal Fulfillment At Any Cost And Care For The Family At Any Cost. An Insightful Look At Mental Illness And At The Larger Picture Of Contemporary Values, The Burden Of Sympathy Is Required Reading For Caregivers Of All Kinds, And For Anyone Seeking Broader Understanding Of Human Responsibility In The Postmodern World.--book Jacket. Illness And Obligation -- Bearing Responsibility -- Managing Emotions -- Family Ties -- The Four Cs -- Surviving The System -- Caring In Postmodern America. David A. Karp. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 291-302) And Index.
In this vivid and thoughtful study, David Karp chronicles the experiences of the family members of the mentally ill, and how they draw "boundaries of sympathy" to avoid being engulfed by the day-to-day suffering of a loved one.
Working from sixty extensive interviews, the author reveals striking similarities in the experiences of caregivers: the feelings of shame, fear, guilt and powerlessness in the face of a socially stigmatized illness; the frustration of navigating the complex network of bureaucracies that govern the mental health system; and most of all, the difficulty negotiating an "appropriate" level of involvement with the mentally ill loved one while maintaining enough distance for personal health. Throughout, Karp sensitively explores the overarching question of how people strike equilibrium between reason and emotion, between head and heart, when caring for a catastrophically ill person. The book concludes with a critical look at what it means to be a moral and caring person at the turn of the century in America, when powerful cultural messages spell out two contradictory imperatives: pursue personal fulfillment at any cost and care for the family at any cost.
An insightful, deeply caring look at mental illness and at the larger picture of contemporary values, The Burden of Sympathy is required reading for caregivers of all kinds, and for anyone seeking broader understanding of human responsibility in the postmodern world. Oxford University Press, USA CONTENTS 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 10 ONE: Illness and Obligation 16 TWO: Bearing Responsibility 48 THREE: Managing Emotions 84 FOUR: Family Ties 122 FIVE: The Four Cs 164 SIX: Surviving the System 206 SEVEN: Caring in Postmodern America 244 NOTES 278 REFERENCES 304 INDEX 316 A 316 B 316 C 317 D 320 E 321 F 322 G 323 H 323 I 324 J 324 K 324 L 324 M 325 N 327 O 327 P 328 R 329 S 329 T 331 U 331 V 331 W 331 ISBN-13:,9780195152449 The sequence of events beginning nearly four years ago in Leslie's life was not unlike the plot in a Steven King novel.