A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction by Patrick J. Kennedy and Stephen Fried | Summary & Analysis

By IRB Media

Inside this Instaread Summary & Analysis of A Common Struggle

• Summary of book

• Introduction to the Important People in the book

• Analysis of the Themes and Author’s Style

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Dec 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781944195359

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SUMMARY

A Common Struggle by Patrick Kennedy is a memoir chronicling his struggles with mental illness and addiction. Patrick uses himself and his family as an example of the stigma and confusion surrounding mental illness in the US and explains the history of mental illness and mental health policy in that context.

Born in July 1967, Patrick Kennedy was the youngest of three children born to Senator Edward Ted Kennedy and Virginia Joan Bennett Kennedy. Patrick suffered from severe asthma from a young age. While he did not like having asthma, he did like that his father paid more attention to him when he was having asthmatic issues. Patrick idolized his father and loved going on sailing trips with just the two of them. He also enjoyed the time he was able to spend with him on the campaign trail when Ted was campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1980.

During his childhood, Patrick’s mother, Joan, struggled with alcoholism and was often in and out of rehabilitation (rehab). His parents informally separated in 1977, and his mother moved to Boston to take better care of herself while Patrick lived with his father full-time. Ted and Joan later divorced and, in 1992, Ted married Victoria Ann Vicki Reggie, his wife until his death.

Patrick suffered from bouts of depression and anxiety during the time of his parents’ divorce. His condition was put down to this difficult time in his home life. In 1984, Patrick and his father were in a car accident. Patrick