Crazy By Pete Earley: A Thematic Analysis

The book, Crazy, was an interesting, and informative non-fiction book, about the struggles that mental health patients and their family members encounter. Pete Earley starts off the story by talking about his son Mike, who started to act strangely in his senior year of high school. It turned out that Mike would later be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and was prescribed medications. Mike thought he was fine, therefore would frequently stop taking his medications. When Mike was in the hospital, he refused treatment, and because he was not a danger to himself, a danger to others, or gravely disabled; the doctors could not force him into treatment. Because, Mike stops taking his medications, his symptoms got worse. Pete discussed a time that
After this hospitalization, Pete found out that the homeowners, of the house that Mike had broken into, decided to press charges against Mike, as they did not feel safe in their own home. Pete tried to explain to the homeowners about Mike’s condition, however they did not have any sympathy. In fear that his son, could potentially go to jail, Pete decided to use his skills as a journalist, in hopes that there was something he could do to help his son. This led to Pete interviewing others that are either directly or indirectly (family members), impacted by mental health disorders. Some of the interviews included prisoners in the Miami prison, family members of individuals that are mentally ill, court officers, and employees that worked at the jail. Pete talks about many individual’s experiences with the mental health care and legal systems. Many of these individual’s stories, were disturbing and shocking, as these two systems are, unfortunately skewed. Making it difficult for patients to receive adequate health care for their psychological issues. From a nursing standpoint, this book was interesting and
It is easy to just follow along with the laws and rules of the health care system; however, a nurse must advocate for the patients. In the case of dealing with an individual with mental health issues that requires treatment; it is necessary that a nurse provide resources that could benefit the patient and their family. Not only did this book, greatly and positively impact the nursing care that one provides, it also showcases how skewed the healthcare/mental system is. This system is focused on the laws, that are focused on the rights of the patient, and therefore fail to note that some patients with psychological issues, lack the insight or judgment to make informed decisions. The three categories to involuntary detain someone only help a small population. What about someone that is wandering the streets talking to themselves, clearly needs help, and is made fun of by the community. This person is labeled by society as “Crazy”, yet because they are not a danger to themselves, not a danger to others, or gravely disabled, they can continue to roam the streets without treatment. The healthcare/mental health system, is greatly influenced by the legal/justice system. The legal/justice system is also skewed, as this system focuses on the rights of the patient, and fails to address what is medically best for the individual. There is a disconnect with what is medically correct, as