Mistaken Identity: Surviving Tragedy and Misdiagnosis

In Mistaken Identity, Francine Keane has told of her challenging journey through almost two decades of depression and anxiety which started with the tragic death of her brother when she was 18. With an incorrect diagnosis she was encouraged to persist with analytical psychotherapy while further losses accumulated - the death of her mother from Alzheimer's Disease, her second brother from motor neuron disease and, finally, her father who died in 2003 at the age of 90. In caring for her terminally ill brother and elderly father she explores the importance of being present for those you love during such a precious time. Finally, after 20 long years, a correct diagnosis and treatment has lead to the rediscovery of her own creativity and this book was borne of the desire to show how the lives of decent people can be re-written by psychiatry. In baring her soul she has attempted to de-mystify abstract therapeutic concepts and questioned the validity of psychotherapy. Through the use of letters, poetry and dreams she has presented an experience in which life really does imitate art.