Thanks especially to my former spouse, Bob, and his wife, Melissa Houtte, for allowing me to expose us all without complaint. And, finally, I wish to acknowledge my husband, Jack Brady, the rock-solid captain of this family vessel, whose humor and good judgment about all things human never fails to astonish me. Obviously, I would be nowhere and no one without my children, Will, Max, Jane, and John, each of whom I believe has learned—in his or her own way—that there is no problem without a solution. To their health and well-being!
About the Author
For most of her career, GAIL GRIFFITH worked as an advocate for international humanitarian causes, including the Nobel Peace Prize–winning campaign to ban landmines. After her son’s near-lethal suicide attempt, she began writing and speaking to raise awareness about teen depression. She is a member of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and serves on the board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. In 2004, she was the patient representative to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s scientific advisory committee charged with investigating the possible link between antidepressant medication and suicidal thinking in teenage patients. She continues to consult for the FDA and advises the National Institute of Mental Health on suicide prevention research. Visit her at her Web site, www.gailgriffith.com, or for more information on the book go to www.willschoice.net.
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PRAISE FOR
Will’s Choice
“In Will’s Choice, Gail Griffith has told, with a mother’s passion, the urgent, necessary story of how her family coped with the devastating shock of a suicide attempt. This is a book about the struggle to supplement love with wisdom in the face of great pain.”
—Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon
“[Griffith has] an incredible gift for words, drawing readers in and making them care about not just Will but all those who bravely combat depression.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer
“[Will’s] story is a strong call for vigilance among parents, even those who may not think their children are like Will—Griffith never dreamed she had a suicidal son, either—as well as a comfort and resource for people of any age struggling out of that pitch-dark place of the soul.”
—Washingtonian magazine
“Will’s Choice is actually about two choices: the young man’s choice to die, and his choice to live. Griffith’s story stands as a heartbreaking and hopeful account that highlights a public health crisis in dire need of attention.”
—Albuquerque Journal
“I know I’m onto a groundbreaking book when I immediately begin counting up the people in my life for whom it will soon become a must-read. Gail Griffith’s story is every mother’s nightmare, and her family’s battle against the ‘intensely unknowable and terrible’ disease of depression, using the limited resources of a dangerously dysfunctional mental health care system, is both heartrending and chilling. If this book serves as a wake-up call, it is truly one that could save lives.”
—Judith Guest, author of Ordinary People
“Gripping, grueling, and entrancing…the text never becomes morose, thanks in part to Griffith’s light hand as a wordsmither and her often win-some turns of phrase…. A knowledgeable guide’s revelatory report on adisturbing phenomenon.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Affecting….[Griffith’s] story will support parents struggling to help their own suffering teens.”
—Booklist
“Painfully honest…heartrending…a plea to society to recognize that depression is a serious but treatable illness.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Stirring prose…possibly life-saving advice for parents…. Above all, this is a powerful personal story about a young man who finds a way to embrace life again.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“In this beautifully written and gripping account, readers learn a great deal about adolescent depression…. This account has much to offer adults who may encounter a depressed teenager or teens themselves.”
—School Library Journal
“Though Griffith is quick to point out that there’s hope for the seriously depressed…her book never stoops to platitudes or easy answers…. Her lucid, honest prose keeps the reader engaged…[and] her story provides concrete advice to concerned parents.”
—Nashville Scene
“A look inside the minds of a patient and his family…an excellent teaching tool for clinicians.”
—Psychiatric News
“Will’s Choice is a courageous and unflinching chronicle of a mother’s battle to save her child from the potentially lethal throes of teen depression. It is a story of fierce love and family in the real world, and, for parents going through this worst of all nightmares, it is a beautifully written handbook of help and hope.”
—Emmylou Harris
“Gail Griffith shares so much more than the saga of her family’s suffering. With refreshing and helpful honesty, she weaves into her narrative all the latest practical advice and scientific research. Most importantly, she shows how, with time and attention, healing can come and hope can be restored, so that Will can choose life.”
—Sen. Gordon H. Smith
“Perceptive and instructive, Will’s Choice offers a rare look into the minds of a teenage boy and his girlfriend, in their dark and difficult passage from childhood to adulthood. It is a valuable document in the fight for better health care for our mentally ill children, who rarely get the treatment they need.”
—Paul Raeburn, author of Acquainted with the Night: A Parent’s Quest to Understand Depression and Bipolar Disorder in His Children
“This book is truly a gem…. Ms. Griffith writes courageously not only about her son’s suicide attempt but also about how they worked as a family to renew his desire to live…. Highly recommended for all those [who] enjoy reading about the real heroes of our day, those who refuse to accept stigma and who fight for social justice and a far better mental health treatment system…simply because it is the right thing to do.”
—Darcy Gruttadaro, NAMI Beginnings
Copyright
Author’s Note: Throughout the book, names of the participants, doctors, teachers, therapists, and family members have not been changed, with the exception of Will’s friends in Washington, D.C., at Montana Academy, and in San Francisco, whose privacy he wishes to protect.
WILL’S CHOICE. Copyright © 2005 by Gail Griffith. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST HARPER PAPERBACK PUBLISHED 2006.
The Library of Congress has catalogued the hardcover edition as follows:
Griffith, Gail.
Will’s choice: a suicidal teen, a desperate mother, and a chronicle of recovery / Gail Griffith.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-06-059865-4 (hc: acid-free paper)
1. Griffith, Will. 2. Griffith, Gail. 3. Teenagers—Suicidal behavior—United States—Case studies. 4. Depression in adolescence—Case studies. 5. Depressed persons—United States—Biography. 6. Depressed persons—United States—Family relationships. I. Title.
HV6546.G75 2005
362.28'092—dc22
[B] 2004059931
EPub Edition © March 2010 ISBN: 978-0-06-201379-8
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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* The American Psychiatric Association has an alphabetical listing of psychiatrists who work in schools, at www.psych.org/public_info. The National Mental Health Association, in partnership with Psychology Today, offers a searchable database by region of therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists at www.nmha.org.
* At this time, in the United States a psychiatrist is the only mental health professional licensed to dispense medication, except in a few states where nonmedical doctors (psychologists) also are allowed to issue prescriptions.
* Both the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs Web site (www.natsap.org) and Lon Woodbury’s strugglingteens.com offer reliable sources.
* Drawing on Native American imagery, the five phases of the program were Earth Clan, Moon Clan, Sun Clan, Star Clan, and Sky Clan. Successful completion of all five phases constituted “graduation” from the therapeutic program.
* Another idiosyncrasy in the regulation of pharmaceuticals stipulates that the drug manufacturers cannot be forced to change labeling; the FDA may recommend changes in the packaging, but there is no legal requirement that they comply.
* An analysis of prescribing data conducted by reporter Jim Rosack for Psychiatric News, September 2, 2005, reported that prescriptions of antidepressants dispensed to patients aged eighteen and under dropped nearly 20 percent since the FDA issued its public health advisory on March 22, 2004.
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