Author Discusses Mental Illness

Dorothy "Dede" Winans Davis led a tormented life. But her torment wasn't her own. It bled into the fabric of her family, from her husband, Stan, to their children, Carolyn, Tom and Edward and made life difficult in their Point Pleasant home.

Dede was eventually diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, but the diagnosis came late, too late to save her, and after wreaking havoc on her husband and children. Her middle son, Tom, fought through bulimia and anxiety issues before overcoming them. He became an award-winning journalist, eventually writing a column dedicated to mental-health issues for the Record of Bergen County newspaper before writing "A Legacy of Madness: Recovering My Family from Generations of Mental Illness". Davis's memoir provides an unflinching look at how he and his family coped with Dede's illness, but also pulls the loose thread on four generations of mental-health issues in the Winans family.   

Davis, the Regional Editor for Patch.com's Shore Region, also is an adjunct professor of journalism at Rutgers University. His powerful, stark story begins with his mother's 2003 death and heads back through decades of mental illness on his mother's side of the family and reads like a mystery in reverse as he finds remarkable clues the provide insight into a troubled family but that ultimately helps him find peace in his own loving family with his wife, Kathleen, and their children, Tommy, Jonathan and Anna.

As he prepares for a 2 p.m. book signing Saturday at in Westfield, Davis cares less about selling books and more about helping anyone who feels that they're falling victim to mental-health issues.

Tom, how is the book doing?

Hey Dave, I'm number 20 on Amazon's suicide list:http://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Madness-Recovering-Generations-Illness/dp/1616491213.

Actually, you're 16th — and 61st in the anxiety disorders category. Did your personal experiences make it easier to be clinical in your approach to the writing?

 I'd say it's hard, and that's why I tried to make it more of a people book....I allude to all things clinical but I always tried to apply whatever clinical research has done, or whatever types of medications I was talking about, to the history of my family...I tried to answer questions such as: How useful were medications when my mother's symptoms of postpartum depression arose in the late 1960s?

What did the research/writing process do to your memories and your feelings about your mother?

It was very cathartic for me.....I feel like I know my mother so much better now, but it's bittersweet. I wish I was this equipped back in the 80s, and the 90s, when she was alive and we still had a chance to save her. But I feel no angst o anything like that toward her...I feel more sympathetic and emphathetic

How did it affect your relationships in your family?

I believe it drew me closer to my father and brother. My father was a person of courage in this book. He is almost 76 years old but he thought it was important that this story be told, even if it doesn't portray him in a flattering light. He has been my strongest supporter since day one.

How does what you found shape the way you approach your life?        

 It makes me smarter. It makes me better understand what I'm seeing when I see it. When I deal with someone with mental health issues, I draw on the lessons I learned from mother and others. I feel better equipped to deal with certain episodes that I may have to deal with in my inner and outer circles.

What do you hope to accomplish with the book?
Understanding....I'm not looking to make a buck. I just want people to know that, if they know of somebody who is growing through this kind of thing, they can have a place to turn to. They're not alone

With each signing, does it get a bit easier to be more open with the public?

Yes...in fact, I've been trying to be playful...I've been getting about 10 books sold per signing, but I want people to know that, even if the subject looks dark, my intention is not to depress you.

Have you had time to process the full impact of how the life you endured shapes your role as husband and father?
I don't think I've had time to understand the full impact, but I understand that there is some impact. As a father of three, we've learned on the lessons of the past and we've tried to deal with issues head-on....and we believe it has worked.

What else do you need to let the audience of Westfield know before you show up for the signing?                                                                     

I'm a nice guy.

Davis will sign copies of "A Legacy of Madness: Recovering My Family from Generations of Mental Illness" at 2 p.m. Saturday at The Town Book Store, 270 E. Broad St, Westfield. If you miss him there, you also can catch him at 2 p.m. Sunday at Words Bookstore in Maplewood, NJ.