Every year as many as 15 million Americans suffer from major depression and bipolar disorder, the most common forms of mental illness. If undiagnosed or untreated suicide can become a desperate option for these people. In “Never Regret the Pain: Loving and Losing a Bipolar Spouse” Sel Erder Yac... more

Every year as many as 15 million Americans suffer from major depression and bipolar disorder, the most common forms of mental illness. If undiagnosed or untreated suicide can become a desperate option for these people. In “Never Regret the Pain: Loving and Losing a Bipolar Spouse” Sel Erder Yackley reveals the cascading effect of her husband’s mental illness on their family. Left to pick up the broken pieces after her husband’s suicide, Sel shares her story of how she keeps his memory alive while struggling with the knowledge that he had refused proper treatment. Had he had access to today’s pharmaceuticals and advancements in psychiatric care, the story might have turned out differently. Instead we learn about a family bravely moving on without a talented and accomplished father, husband, and jurist. “The book is a rare combination of stories. Together they tell of an extraordinary woman with outsized dreams who left the life that was designed for her and plunged into another one. Anyone who has triumphed in the face of loss -- or hopes to do so -- will be inspired by Sel Yackley's journey," says Stephen Kinzer, former New York Times bureau chief in Istanbul and author of several non-fiction books. “I hope my story inspires and sustains families in similar pain, educates the public about bipolar illness, and promotes more research for better treatment of mental illness,” says the author, an award-winning journalist who was born and reared in Turkey. “Recognized as brain diseases perhaps even caused by a viral infection, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders are treatable just like other chronic ailments,” she says.