Chronic Mental Illness:

About the Book

Chronic Mental Illness: A Living Nightmare A plea for compassion, better understanding, and more funding to help those with mental illness and their caregivers. Eace Bee was a promising young student hoping to become an architect or a rapper when, nearing the end of high school, he was, by his own account, struck down by crippling mental illness. Diagnosed as a severe paranoid schizophrenic, he has for 20-plus years struggled with mood swings that can make him seem menacing, voices from animate and inanimate objects that only he can hear, and behavior patterns that have put him into hospitals again and again. His propensity for not taking his meds hasn't helped. In this unusual book edited by Pickles, Eace; his mother, Priscilla Bee; and his sister, Honey Bee, all debut authors, tell their intimate story of the sheer horror and stigma of mental illness. Priscilla-a teacher and school administrator and a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-adds numerous recommendations to the narrative. She calls for substantial increases in public spending to train mental health professionals, teachers, counselors, administrators, police, and others who come in contact with mentally ill or at-risk young people. Stronger emphasis is needed, she says, on job programs and early intervention that goes beyond merely funneling students into special education curriculums. For Eace, she says, what is so obviously required is long-term comprehensive care in an open and supportive environment. But her search for such a program has yielded disappointing results. Instead, the care Eace receives has been episodic, disjointed, not especially compassionate, and too often complicated by bureaucratic quagmires. Her point that the historic malady of racism has infected treatment of the mentally ill is well made. Succeeds in helping illuminate the realities of mental illness, what it does to families, and how it is treated-or mistreated.

About the Author

Eace Bee Eace Bee has never been married and has no children. He is a compassionate, kind, and caring human being. Eace is a high school graduate. He had aspired to be an architect before he was struck down by a thought disorder at the age of sixteen. On several occasions, he attempted to further his education and training. He has held jobs in food service, maintenance, and product assembly. Eace enjoys reading and writing, drawing and painting, listening to music, swimming, and walking. Eace is a member of the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI). Honey Bee Honey Bee has been married for twenty years and has four children. She is results driven, and to get results, she focuses on building relationships. She is a lifelong educator and administrator. She has taught secondary science: biology, chemistry, and physics. She is currently an administrator at the secondary level and is working on her doctorate degree. She received her bachelor’s degree from Jarvis Christian College and her master’s degree from Prairie View University. Honey enjoys going to theaters, dancing, painting, drawing, Zumba, and walking trails. Honey is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA) and the Texas Secondary Principals Association. Priscilla Bee Priscilla is a divorced mother with two children. She provides essential and persistent family support, protection, and guidance. She is a lifelong educator and administrator. Priscilla taught secondary English literature and all-level reading. She also served as an administrator for preK-12 education systems. She has become active in social reform and provides training opportunities through the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill (NAMI). Examples include Family-to-Family and Parents and Teachers as Ally’s. By rendering support to others through signature research programs, she touches lives, one person at a time. She believes there is healing in hope. Priscilla enjoys swimming, walking, reading, writing, meditating, and reflecting. She enjoys the opportunity to spend quality time with friends and associates, her children and grandchildren. Priscilla is a member of AKA and NAMI.