Historical and Social Context

Mental illness, and in the case of Bitter Medicine, Schizophrenia affects the lives of millions of people. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, by the age of 40, about 50% of the population will have or have had a mental illness, with schizophrenia affecting 1% of the Canadian population. Furthermore, according to the government of Canada, the stigma around mental illness prevents many people from seeking the proper help that they may critically require.

Clem Martini discusses the lack of mental health support by taking the reader through a miniature treasure hunt to find their local psychiatric facility or hospital ward, remarking that the difficulty in locating it isn’t uncommon (Bitter Medicine, pg. 159-161). Additionally, Martini details the fallout of the stigma around schizophrenia affecting the way those with schizophrenia can regain some semblance of normalcy, remarking that most are almost doomed into homelessness because of the lack of proper support from the government (Bitter Medicine, pg. 163). Additionally, Martini details the various antipsychotics, like Stelazine (Trifluoperazine), that his brothers were prescribed and the alarming side effects that accompanied them such as Tardive Dyskinesia and Akathisia (Bitter Medicine, pg. 173-175).

In a society that is still breaking free of the stigma surrounding mental illness and how it’s treated, Bitter Medicine is an unfortunately common story that those affected by mental illness can relate to, but presents a call to action for readers to do what they can to better the healthcare system in order to take better care of those afflicted with mental illness and give them the support they deserve.
 * Mark Philips