Surreality: Reliving Fatal Family Trauma Caused by Mental Illness and Stigmatization

Surreality is the story of the journey taken by author M.R. Kat's family through the channels of mental illness and the stigmatisms that are altogether too commonly associated with the disease. It is a testament to the detrimental truth that families never fully recover from these types of tragedies - and those that could have been prevented.

You will be astonished at M.R. Kat's emotionally raw and painful journey of growing up with a mother who suffered from mental illness that ultimately lead to her tragic death. That was just the beginning of the cycle of destruction of denial and stigma surrounding mental illness and alcoholism in her family. Kat unveils her own struggles and spiral into the depths of depression, anxiety and alcoholism; the road to recovery encumbered by inadequate and damaging treatment from medical professionals employed to properly treat and protect patients.

This story needs to be told and our society needs to put these diseases in the same light as cancer and heart disease or any other fatal illness. The padded doors need to be unlocked and the topics of mental illness, alcoholism, addiction, and suicide that are too often avoided or kept in the dark in our society can no longer be considered taboo. They can strike any family and do not discriminate. It's time to talk out loud and demand availability of the highest level of medical care and support for those who need it. No one should feel silenced in the face of a life threatening illness or its aftermath. We cannot continue to let the diseases win.

This story will strike chords with many people who have lived similar pains and endured the unthinkable with respect to loved ones who have battled similar demons. Whether you lived with mental illness, alcoholism, and/or addictions, you will find Kat's depiction of her family's journey a poignant and, hopefully, a cathartic one.

"One person at a time, the journey toward healing and acceptance starts with each of us."
- Ryan H.