Uncivil Commitment: A Memoir of My Daughter's Struggle with Bipolar Disorder and the Mental Health System

"A debut author recollects her daughter's torturous battle with mental illness, and the virtues and vices of psychiatric treatment in the United States [in particular involuntary civil commitment]. The perceptive book concludes with a series of short essays on the state of mental health care,though the entire work is permeated by these concerns. Esperanza writes affectingly but also with impressive objectivity--the drama unfolds almost like a novel, but she musters remarkable temperance, especially noticeable when she comments on doctors who were largely antagonistic.

"I realize how fraught his [hospital psychiatrist] work was with failures, with negativity, with combat rather than cooperation. And maybe some part of him wanted it to be different." This memoir is both wise and philosophically rigorous, and should be read by anyone curious about the modern treatment of mental illness. A reflection on psychiatric care that combines emotional poignancy and intellectual astuteness."  Kirkus review

Thea Amidov Esperanza is the pen name of an author, mother, and mental health advocate. Esperanza has a master’s degree in social work and a doctorate. Under the name Thea Amidov, she has written for psychcentral.org. Her daughter Serafina has published her own account of her struggle with the court system at MadinAmerica.org.