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Author Sarah Fawn Montgomery May Be “Quite Mad," But Uses Her Story To Explore Mental Health

Laura Tsutsui
/
Valley Public Radio
Sarah Fawn Montgomery's book is both memoir and historical research into the roots of mental illness in the U.S.

It can be hard to find the right kind of care for your physical health, and it can be just as challenging to find the right care for your mental health. One Fresno State alumna’s latest book is about facing that challenge herself. Sarah Fawn Montgomery is an author from California’s Central Coast, and now an assistant professor at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts. Her latest book is “Quite Mad: An American Pharma Memoir.” It’s about her own experience finding treatment for crippling anxiety and illness, but she also weaves in other narratives and research about the history of mental health treatment and discoveries.

 

The result is an examination of how mental illness is perceived America, where the National Institute of Mental Health estimates one in five adults live with some form of it. Listen to the interview above to hear more about what Montgomery calls a perception that mental health is “both imaginary and epidemic.”

Laura Tsutsui was a reporter and producer for Valley Public Radio. She joined the station in 2017 as a news intern, and later worked as a production assistant and weekend host. Laura covered local issues ranging from politics to housing, and produced the weekly news program Valley Edition. She left the station in November 2020.
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