Health & Wellbeing
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The story of a mother’s 27-year battle to get appropriate support for her son and to protect him from negligent and at times abusive services. At a time when the UK government is updating mental health legislation, when the WHO and the UN are recommending the reduction of coercive psychopharmacological practices, and when many mental health professionals and people with lived experience are questioning the use of toxic medications, this is a powerful personal account written by a mother and experienced psychotherapist of the emotional distress she experienced as she watched her son deteriorate.
The author describes under-resourced service providers who fail to listen, are frequently unskilled and at times negligent. She questions the limitations of subjective psychiatric diagnoses without adequate investigation or assessment and the trial-and-error method of prescribing toxic medications without basic monitoring. She describes the lack of adherence to the safeguards of the Mental Health Act and the 2014 Care Act and failures caused by the lack of communication between service providers. She references the literature and research projects that support her growing realisation that the professional help she sought to support him is in fact damaging him.
Here's what readers have to say about this book....
Groundhog Day by Lesley Brown is a powerful and deeply moving read. As someone who has worked in this field, I was shocked by how often professionals ignored William’s main carer, relied on medication instead of meaningful support, and repeatedly failed in their legal duties. It’s heartbreaking to see how different William’s life — and his mother’s — could have been if people had simply listened. What I appreciated most was Brown’s honesty. She doesn’t just document the failures; she also highlights the rare but important moments when compassionate, skilled practitioners made a real difference. Those glimpses of good practice show exactly what our profession should strive for. This book is essential reading for anyone entering social work or mental health. It’s honest, courageous, and I genuinely couldn’t put it down.
An honest and emotionally harrowing account showing how one person's mental health issues, dealt with (largely) appallingly, can 'ripple' through a whole family. I have been literally brought to tears. Compelling reading.
An impressive account of a mother's lifelong battle to get help for her son's mental health problems. Just as "Groundhog Day" suggests, much of the detail has to be repetitive, but the writing keeps the reader engaged as well as informed and compelled to keep reading. The author's tenacity in the face of constant disappointment is impressive and every mother can relate to the force behind it - her love of her son.
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