The Last Taboo: A Survival Guide to Mental Health Care in Canada

Robert B. MacIntyre, a former professor of psychology at the Ontario
Institute for Studies in Education, is head of the Centre for
Relationship Therapy and Education in Orangeville, Ontario.

The usefulness of this survival guide rests on the special expertise of
the authors. Both are experienced journalists and dedicated researchers,
and both have had direct experience with mental illness—one as a
victim of a serious mood disorder and the other as a partner to someone
with mental illness.

The Last Taboo documents the scope and costs of mental illness, and
offers clear, updated definitions of the most common types. An
especially poignant chapter deals with the risk of suicide and the
impact of suicide on survivors. Chapters on the stigmatization of those
defined as mentally ill, and on the importance of friendship,
occupation, and having a home, are very helpful and bring the issue back
to the level of daily living. A guide to getting help and the varieties
of help available, both traditional and alternative, is also provided.
Consumers of mental-health services, or friends and family, will find
this informative book an excellent start as they negotiate their way
through the formal and informal systems of help and (sometimes)
hindrance.