Flight from Reason: A Mother's Story of Schizophrenia, Recovery and Hope

The insidious symptoms of schizophrenia quietly transformed Karen’s devoted and intelligent daughter Bethany into a despondent, dirty, homeless stranger, living on the streets of a West Coast city. After dropping out of college and refusing all contact with family and friends, her daughter pursued an obsession to travel alone to three continents in an effort to help alleviate worldwide human suffering and poverty.
Throughout an agonizing five year period of estrangement, not realizing her daughter’s personality changes were the direct result of emerging schizophrenia, there were times when Karen did not know if her daughter was dead or alive. Every attempt to make contact with Bethany resulted in deeper estrangement as schizophrenia twisted her sense of reality and ravaged her mind.
One day Karen and her husband were notified by police that Bethany was being held on a 72-hour psychiatric hold in a hospital emergency room two thousand miles away. Little did they know that the reunion with their daughter would plunge all three of them into an even broader dimension of suffering generated by Bethany’s severe illness and her awakened desire to reclaim her life. Through a series of events, and despite overwhelming odds, Bethany made an unexpected and complete recovery from schizophrenia.
Seen through Karen’s eyes, and with raw honesty, she brings the reader directly into her own world of confusion and heartbreak. She offers an intimate perspective on the agony families endure while watching mental illness assault the mind of a loved one, and navigating the frustrating obstacle course of the mental health system.
“Karen’s book is an inspiring message for all families, parents and their adult children.”
“It is an amazing story of determination and persistence, fueled by parental love for a daughter who vanished from their lives.”
“Mental health professionals such as counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, psychiatrists and all their trainees would find the emotional rollercoaster of Karen’s experiences as a vivid example of what parents of their patients go through.”
Henry A. Nasrallah, M.D.
Professor and Chairman
Department of Neurology and Psychiatry
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
FLIGHT FROM REASON is the companion book to MIND ESTRANGED: My Journey from Schizophrenia and Homelessness to Recovery, a memoir by Karen’s daughter, Bethany Yeiser. MIND ESTRANGED parallels the timeline of FLIGHT FROM REASON.