MSI Press Blog

  A HERO'S SUICIDE   b y Joanna J. Charnas   This following essay was written in 2017 but has not been previously published.   Earlier this week I learned that one of my former patients killed himself. I’m devastated and can’t stop thinking about him. His name was Ryan Larkin.   Ryan was a Navy SEAL. He completed four tours of duty, two in Iraq and two in Afghanistan as a corpsman. Ryan arrived at the inpatient psychiatry ward of the hospital that employs me four weeks prior to discharging from the Navy, and he remained with us for a month.   While he was in our care, I became concerned about Ryan’s treatment. His attending psychiatrist was a skilled and caring provider, but the other players in the larger mental health system seemed mostly fearful of Ryan. Fear is not an optimal state in which to deliver care. My colleagues repeatedly expressed concern about his opioid use and labeled him “drug seeking.” In 2016 the country had a new awareness of the burge...

  A Book through the Fog by Bob McGee was selected for listing by Shepherd.com among "the best books to help you find hope when battling with your mental health." Calling the book "one of a kind," reviewer Kevin Hines write: I was immersed in this book by Bob McGee because it is an incredible true story of a long-time painter of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the things he saw while employed at the GGB moved me to my gut. His first-person view is the very first of its kind, and this book is one of a kind. I was floored by how he shows the reader the hardship of the job, as well as the darkness of the harbinger of death that was the Golden Gate Bridge before the net was installed this year. I also really appreciated how the book shines a beautiful light on the building of the GGB and all the effort it took to create such a global icon.    AWARDS Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Literary Titan gold award Eric Hoffer Debut Author Award finalist Eric Hoffer Grand Prize sho...