Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

Sisters and Brothers of people who have schizophrenia

There is a special radio documentary focused on the challenges that the sisters and brothers of people who have schizophrenia face. A good program for parents and siblings - its available for listening now.

Here is the web page where you can listen to the radio documentary:

A Burden to Be Well: Sisters and Brothers of the Mentally Ill

Following are the details:

June 2, 2006; Amherst, Mass. - 88.5FM WFCR, NPR News and Music for Western New England, will broadcast a half-hour documentary, "A Burden to Be Well: Sisters and Brothers of the Mentally Ill." The documentary, produced and reported by Karen Brown, examines the plight of families coping with mental illness, and in particular siblings who are considered "the healthy ones."

Until recently, there's been little said about the sisters and brothers of the mentally ill. A body of research on "well-sibling syndrome" is starting to emerge, along with a growing number of personal memoirs. Brown's documentary focuses on two sets of siblings, each struggling with mental illness from different stages of life. She also speaks with experts and siblings on the way mental illness affects its closest bystanders -- from survivor's guilt to the burden of caretaking.

WFCR's General Manager Martin Miller said, "This work shines a light into recesses of our culture that too often go unreported. The documentary work that Karen has done has illuminated some difficult and poorly understood health care issues such as the plight of refugees caught in a health care system they barely understand and the devastation wrought by bipolar illness in young people."

"A Burden to Be Well" will be augmented by a companion web page that will include additional resources on mental illness and siblings. The documentary, as well as the related features, will be available as
audio on demand at WFCR.org.

Karen Brown is an award-winning producer and reporter for WFCR. Her 2004 documentary "The Wild Child: Coping with a Bipolar Youth" won a national Edward R. Murrow Award, among other honors.

To Listen to the Program - visit the WFCR web site: www.wfcr.org

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88.5 FM WFCR, NPR News and Music for Western New England, is an
affiliate of National Public Radio, American Public Media, and Public
Radio International. For more information about
WFCR's programs and services, call 413-545-0100 or visit WFCR online
at www.wfcr.org.