We have to talk about mental health.

Meg Kissinger’s book reinforces that idea by sharing her family’s experiences with unflinching honesty. One of eight children born over a twelve-year period to two alcoholics, Meg witnessed the mental, emotional, and behavioral struggles of her parents and siblings. As she recalls and related family medical history, pieces of a troubling puzzle fall into place. Unfortunately, the picture those pieces paint is one that was only clear in hindsight.

Following the death by suicide of one of her sisters, Meg faced her own demons on the road to becoming a journalist. Then her brother also died by suicide. Wrapped in grief, shame, and guilt, Kissinger began writing about the mental health care system in Milwaukee, WI.

WHILE YOU WERE OUT is a comprehensive telling of her life experiences to date. It’s deeply moving, at times heartbreaking, and extraordinary. If we are, as a society, ever going to turn the tide toward effective mental health care, we all need to be more like Meg Kissinger: we need to talk openly and honestly about this topic.