“Surrounded by Madness: A Memoir of Mental Illness and Family Secrets”

The Assembly Series, Washington University’s signature lecture series, enjoys a long and rich tradition. When the speaker series was established in 1953, its programs were held Wednesdays at 11 a.m. in Graham Chapel, and no classes were scheduled so the entire campus community could assemble.

Abstract for this event: “[Approximately] 78.4 million people in the United States are living with a diagnosable mental illness,” says noted psychologist Rachel Pruchno, “more than those with cancer, heart disease, and diabetes combined.”

Unfortunately, many if not most sufferers are not getting the treatment they need, and she knows first hand the tragic consequences of inaction, detailed in her memoir, “Surrounded by Madness: A Memoir of Mental Illness and Family Secrets.” In her presentation, Pruchno will enumerate the existing barriers that prevent people from receiving help that is available – chief among them, stigma — and discuss what she sees as the necessary steps toward breaking down those barriers.

Learn more: Assembly Series.