Irene Abramovich M. D. Ph. D.
Raising a child with mental illness is complex by itself, but the way society views and treats mental health issues makes it even harder. In Life in the House of Cards: Parenting a Child with Mental Illness, author Dr. Irene Abramovich talks openly about painful issues encountered by children with mental illness and their parents, including educational struggles, medical challenges, parenting issues, and the effect on other siblings and partners. Life in the House of Cards shares testimonies of parents of mentally ill children and offers insights about all aspects of mental illness in children. With this book, Dr. Abramovich: • defines the work of child psychiatry • discusses the loss of the 'perfect child' and accepting the mental illness diagnosis • shares strategies for getting help for the child • shows how to navigate the opposing and often confusing medical diagnosis • talks about the public perception of children with mental illness • discusses the choice of whether or not to treat that mental illness Geared toward parents, Life in the House of Cards communicates that importance of recognizing that mental illness is as much of a medical condition as any other disease. It shows that parents are not alone in their struggles, and that support and help is available. 3
