Sign in with Facebook
37th out of 130 books
—
146 voters
A Lethal Inheritance: A Mother Uncovers the Science behind Three Generations of Mental Illness
by
Victoria Costello (Goodreads Author)
In this riveting story--part memoir, detective story, and scientific investigation--Costello recounts how the mental unraveling of her 17-year-old son, Alex, compelled her to look back into family history for clues to his condition.
Paperback, 220 pages
Published
January 2012
by Prometheus Books
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,188)
A Lethal Inheritance
By Victoria Costello
2012
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
As a working single mother, Victoria Costello uses her expertise as a science journalist to include a historical rendering of facts from studies done to support her work about mental illness. She shows the cross-generational pattern that many times prevents obtaining necessary treatment, which causes untold pain in families.
A Lethal Inheritance begins with incidents that opened her eyes to see and act on what wa...more
By Victoria Costello
2012
Reviewed by Angie Mangino
Rating: 5 stars
As a working single mother, Victoria Costello uses her expertise as a science journalist to include a historical rendering of facts from studies done to support her work about mental illness. She shows the cross-generational pattern that many times prevents obtaining necessary treatment, which causes untold pain in families.
A Lethal Inheritance begins with incidents that opened her eyes to see and act on what wa...more
This was an incredibly fascinating and informative book. When Victoria Costello's older son was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 18 she starts to delve into mental health and try to figure out how best to help him. What she realizes a few years after her son's diagnosis is that she first needs to look at herself and her family's mental health history. But, looking into her family medical history she quickly realizes that there are 4 generations of mental illness at work and that she al...more
I may add more later, but wanted to say I really enjoyed this book. I felt it was an engaging mix of memoir and science writing. There was enough memoir that it reads almost like a thriller, but the information mixed in is very detailed and carefully researched and referenced. Some areas of the book are more seamless than others, but I didn't think it detracted from the point. At 230 pages of actual writing, it's a quick read.
While this is a book that can certainly be read and enjoyed by the ma...more
While this is a book that can certainly be read and enjoyed by the ma...more
I like the personal stories and some of the scientific explanations but I do get bogged down in some of the medical jargon.
This book has changed my life with regards to really taking a closer look at some of the "secrets" in my own ancestors' history. Is there a generic link to alcoholism? What about mental illness? What is really behind some of my grandmother's odd behavior? And my mothers? Have I followed in suit?
I applaud Victoria Costello for boldly taking a journey backward in time to research the skeletons in her closet. Through examining generations of psychiatric issues, she has uncovered risk factors and ea...more
I applaud Victoria Costello for boldly taking a journey backward in time to research the skeletons in her closet. Through examining generations of psychiatric issues, she has uncovered risk factors and ea...more
Absolutely marvelous. A must read for parents regardless of whether you believe there is or is not mental illness in your ancestry. Learning about the intersection of genetics and environment is crucial for living in todays world. Whether your cause, your issue is mental health, learning disabilities, environmental safety, addiction, prenatal care, cancer prevention/treatment or a host of other things, this concept of G x E is crucial.
The memoir parts offer compelling evidence of the authors sin...more
The memoir parts offer compelling evidence of the authors sin...more
If you have any questions about how your mental health history, and the mental health of anyone in your family tree, might impact your children, you should read this book. It's part scientific review, part memoir. And it offered a lot of things to think about - some more obvious than others - regarding the importance of knowing your mental health history so as to be a better parent. Like the fact that the more you dig into your family history, the better equipped you are to recognize and address...more
The first part of the book was a little slow for me. It was more of the research and part memior of her son Alex's schizophrenia. It was a heavy subject so I often only read 10-20 pages at a time. I'm sure it would be more applicable to families that face similar situations.
My interest was more in the correlation of mental illness and addiction. I have a family history of both. It was interesting Victoria's findings of the mental health issues when she did some digging into her Irish heritage. I...more
My interest was more in the correlation of mental illness and addiction. I have a family history of both. It was interesting Victoria's findings of the mental health issues when she did some digging into her Irish heritage. I...more
Aug 05, 2012
Rhonda Rae Baker
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
addiction,
dysfunction,
educational,
family,
healing,
historical,
illness,
legacy,
loss,
memoir,
motivational,
non-fiction,
own,
psychological,
scientific,
second-chance,
neglect
This is a powerfully researched topic with memoir interlaced for example. Not an easy read, especially if there is body memory that surfaces, which was my case. I learned so much and had to go back and reread sections for greater understanding.
I cannot express how important this information is, especially to those with mental illness in their family background. Being an adoptee, I knew nothing of my history...this greatly hindered my own life and damaged my children because I was unable to help...more
I cannot express how important this information is, especially to those with mental illness in their family background. Being an adoptee, I knew nothing of my history...this greatly hindered my own life and damaged my children because I was unable to help...more
1 like · like · see review
The intended audience is families dealing with depression, addiction, and especially, schizophrenia. I'm sure this book will be extremely helpful and edifying for those readers who want to understand the basics of the disease.
Mar 08, 2013
Heidi Kreizinger
added it
Good book on how szycoprenia (sp) and bi-polar and go down from generation to generation. The only thing I didn't like was all the studies etc. But since I have bi-polar, it was interesting for me.
Very Good. Very Interesting. Lots of facts and studies. Well researched. Written in a very readable, storylike fashion.
Detailed review at http://the-mouse-trap.com/2013/05/16/...
Jun 16, 2012
Melissa
added it
What a courageous and eye-opening view of not only a mother navigating her children through the mental-health field, but also recognizing her own struggle with mental illness. Having seen my brother's mental illness and then facing my own, I found Ms. Costello's account to be very moving. I think her science-writing background bodes well here, but she also makes all of it quite accessible.
Very interesting. But if you are a parent who suffers from anxiety or depression - this book will make you anxious and depressed. Fact.
This book was very informative and gives hope that even though a child may be genetically disposed to a mental illness, there are ways to recognize indicative behaviors and prevent the disease...often without the use of drugs.
A mother reviews her family history when her teenage son develops mental illness. The thread of mental illness is explored throughout the generations. Clear that there is a genetic link to some mental illness.
I thought this book would less personal memoir and more understanding the general nature of family shared mental illnesses.
Very little memoir, a lot of statistics. Interesting, but could have been better.
May 21, 2013
Raeya
marked it as to-read
May 18, 2013
Lorisha
marked it as to-read
May 17, 2013
Mony Mon
marked it as to-read
May 16, 2013
Annette Thompson
marked it as to-read
May 14, 2013
Sabrina Depue
marked it as to-read
May 13, 2013
Maddie Mcintyre
marked it as to-read
May 13, 2013
Delphia
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2013
Amanda Johnson
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2013
Denise Terry
marked it as to-read
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why I wrote this book... | 1 | 8 | Dec 23, 2011 10:02am |
I'm a science and parenting writer with two new books coming out in late 2011-12 that I'm excited to share with my Goodreads friends. I tell the deeply personal story of my ten-year journey from despair to recovery and joy for myself and my two sons in my upcoming memoir, A LETHAL INHERITANCE, A MOTHER UNCOVERS THE SCIENCE BEHIND THREE GENERATIONS OF MENTAL ILLNESS, out in Jan 2012. I'm thrilled w...more
More about Victoria Costello...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
Aug 07, 2012 01:01pm