This book is an essential road map to hope and recovery. It tells the reader where to get help and what pitfalls to avoid. It defines the most common forms of mental illness, discusses the advantages and drawbacks of medication, and tackles the ultimate taboo of suicide. It offers coping strategies for consumers, family members, friends, and employers, and demonstrates how they can all contribute to the recovery of a person with a mental illness. Medication and psychotherapy only go so far – housing, meaningful activity, and friendships are as crucial to recovery as any drug.