Deborah Kasdan is pulling back the curtain on schizophrenia.
LISTEN NOW: Deborah Kasdan on grappling with grief, guilt, and family
The author of 'Roll Back the World: A Sister's Memoir,’ Kasdan bravely shares her experience as she and her family navigated the impact of her sister’s schizophrenia diagnosis when she was in college. Deborah bares all as she discusses the suffering she saw her sister ensue, the grief and guilt she carried, and the pain it caused her family.
“It was quite a tumultuous time,” Deborah shared of the time her sister was diagnosed. “The treatments just seemed to make her worse and the family could find no alternatives… She ended up spending decades in and out of hospitals.”
A motivating factor for Deborah behind the memoir honoring her late sister was not only telling her sister’s story, but also to expose the flawed mental health system in our society and work to understand exactly what her sister went through physically, mentally and emotionally.
“One of the reasons I wanted to write the book was, I kind of felt this need to solve a mystery: What really happened to her and why,” she shared. “It really impacted us — the whole family, and I wanted to show the impact on the family.”
Deborah leaves no emotion undiscussed all as she shares the highs and lows of her experience throughout her sister’s decades-long fight and brings readers along for every twist and turn. Hear more about what you can expect from her book, Roll Back the World: A Sister's Memoir,’ by checking out her full interview for Audacy’s I’m Listening initiative above.
Audacy's I’m Listening initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources here.