My dad, Morris Chadwick "Chad" Gaffin, was an all-American kind of guy who was a devout Christian, a professional Scouter with the Boy Scouts of America, and an artillery officer with the US Army during the Cold War. He was a well-meaning and charismatic guy who unfortunately suffered from a mental illness known as bipolar disorder. Despite being diagnosed with this mental illness in the middle of his life, he refused to admit it and take the appropriate medicine. Unfortunately, his mental illness worsened with age, and he began to inadvertently destroy his relationships with people, which prevented him from fully accomplishing his ultimate goal in life of becoming a minister. Most of the bad things in Dad's life were done to himself, but he always saw himself as a victim of evil people out to destroy him. Despite the unflattering and embarrassing realities of his bipolar disorder, this book will fully examine his life and explain how our family dealt with his mental illness and difficult personality. It was sad to watch Dad's life slowly spiral downward into a personal hell as he became his own worst enemy, especially with his personal relationships and finances. For those who knew him best, he was ultimately loved and appreciated as a person who wanted to make a positive impact on the world. Maybe this book could give his life more meaning and serve as a cautionary tale for those with similar loved ones who refuse to seek help.

“A magnificent gift to those of us who love someone who has a mental illness…Earley has used his considerable skills to meticulously research why the mental health system is so profoundly broken.”—Bebe Moore Campbell, author of 72 Hour Hold Former Washington Post reporter Pete Earley had written extensively about the criminal justice system. But it was only when his own son—in the throes of a manic episode—broke into a neighbor's house that he learned what happens to mentally ill people who break a law. This is the Earley family's compelling story, a troubling look at bureaucratic apathy and the countless thousands who suffer confinement instead of care, brutal conditions instead of treatment, in the “revolving doors” between hospital and jail. With mass deinstitutionalization, large numbers of state mental patients are homeless or in jail-an experience little better than the horrors of a century ago. Earley takes us directly into that experience—and into that of a father and award-winning journalist trying to fight for a better way.

Give God a chance and gain a new hope in life! You have nothing to lose.

Ever since he was a child, Keith O’Neil wanted to play football. Born on the same day that his father, Ed O’Neil, was cut from the New England Patriots, football was all Keith could think about...aside from his anxiety. Offered a scholarship to Northern Arizona University, O’Neil jumped at the chance to prove himself. Though it wasn’t a Division I-A school, he brought his all and was a natural on the field, achieving first-team All-Big Sky choice as a junior and senior, as well as earning All-American honors. Going undrafted, luck came from the Dallas Cowboys, who offered O’Neil an invite to rookie mini-camp. But while trying to learn the playbook, his anxiety and insomnia returned. Even so, he made the team as an undrafted free agent. His dream had come true. While proving himself as a hard-nosed special teamer, sleepless nights, constant anxiety, and suicidal thoughts clouded his mind. O’Neil considered stepping away from the game multiple times, even speaking to his coach, Bill Parcells. Parcells gave him the wisdom that “Everyone has a demon in their head, and we have to beat that demon. Beat the demon!” After being released from the Cowboys, O’Neil spent time with the Colts and Giants, but still could not escape his inner demons. He asked for help but never received the attention he needed. In fact, for suicidal thoughts was given a CD to help him relax—Enya. It finally became too much for him to handle, and the final decision was made to walk away from the game. It wasn’t until sometime later that was finally diagnosed: Bipolar I disorder. Finally, everything made sense. Under My Helmet is the personal story of a man working every day to prove his worth while struggling with a debilitating—and undiagnosed—mental illness. O’Neil’s voice is honest and open as he shares his battles and the steps he’s taken to overcome adversity.

Emerging from mid-century social movements, Civil Rights Era formations, and anti-war protests, Asian American studies is now an established field of transnational inquiry, diasporic engagement, and rights activism. These histories and origin points analogously serve as initial moorings for Flashpoints for Asian American Studies, a collection that considers–almost fifty years after its student protest founding--the possibilities of and limitations inherent in Asian American studies as historically entrenched, politically embedded, and institutionally situated interdiscipline. Unequivocally, Flashpoints for Asian American Studies investigates the multivalent ways in which the field has at times and—more provocatively, has not—responded to various contemporary crises, particularly as they are manifest in prevailing racist, sexist, homophobic, and exclusionary politics at home, ever-expanding imperial and militarized practices abroad, and neoliberal practices in higher education.

The Battle with an Enemy Called Bipolar: The Win Over Depression By: Rochelle D. Smith About the Book The Battle with an Enemy Called Bipolar: The Win Over Depression is the story of a woman’s lifelong battle with mental illness, as told from her daughter’s perspective. Weaving heart-wrenching personal stories with comprehensive medical research, Rochelle D. Smith creates a memoir that is at once deeply unique and highly relatable. Mental illness can feel overwhelming, destructive, and unending, but Smith shows that through love, understanding, and grace, one can learn to live with their mental illness and support their loved ones who may be struggling.

I’ve written my story of how I’ve overcome depression so hopefully, in reading it, you or your loved one will be encouraged to keep trying to find the right solution that works for you or your loved one. I believe overcoming depression is achievable for most people. There are lots of good solid kinds of help available today. The key is recognizing that you have depression and then getting the right kind of help that you, or your loved one needs.