My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward

A Memoir

By: Mark Lukach

Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg

A heart-wrenching, yet hopeful, memoir of a young marriage that is redefined by mental illness and affirms the power of love.

Mark and Giulia’s life together began as a storybook romance. They fell in love at eighteen, married at twenty-four, and were living their dream life in San Francisco. When Giulia was twenty-seven, she suffered a terrifying and unexpected psychotic break that landed her in the psych ward for nearly a month. One day she was vibrant and well-adjusted; the next she was delusional and suicidal, convinced that her loved ones were not safe.

Eventually, Giulia fully recovered, and the couple had a son. But, soon after Jonas was born, Giulia had another breakdown, and then a third a few years after that. Pushed to the edge of the abyss, everything the couple had once taken for granted was upended.

A story of the fragility of the mind, and the tenacity of the human spirit, My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward is, above all, a love story that raises profound questions: How do we care for the people we love? What and who do we live for? Breathtaking in its candor, radiant with compassion, and written with dazzling lyricism, Lukach’s is an intensely personal odyssey through the harrowing years of his wife’s mental illness, anchored by an abiding devotion to family that will affirm readers’ faith in the power of love.

Beautiful, raw & honest peak into mental illness

Where does My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I loved this book. It was a beautiful, raw & honest peak into mental illness. I liked that it was from the caregivers perspective. Other books I've read are from the individual's perspective. I too struggle from bipolar, and I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in it. It's not a walk in the park, but people who suffer with this mental illness are worth fighting for and giving a voice to. Bipolar can't be cured, but it can be managed to allow the individual to live a relatively normal life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mark, the husband. He stayed true to his wedding vows and stayed with his wife through thick and thin.

Which scene was your favorite?

Oddly enough, I liked the scene when she quit going off her medication. It shows how important it is to stay on your medication even if you feel like you're okay without it. A diabetic wouldn't stop taking insulin and expect to be fine, and the same holds true with mental illness. There's no shame in being on medication to help you keep your life on track. It's not your fault your chemicals and hormones are out of balance. I think it's largely due to genetics.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I definitely cried in parts. It struck close to home many times.

Any additional comments?

I would hope anyone who reads this that does not suffer or does not have a loved one who suffers from mental illness would gain some empathy toward people who do.

Absolutely perfection!

This book is so lovely and really shows a side to mental illness we all need to see. There are so many people affected everyday with this and we need to be more aware and more caring!!!

Inspiration

Honest and raw emotions , heartfelt and inspiring. After my almost 30 year marriage fell apart after I broke my back , going through surgeries, depression , suicidal thoughts our marriage began to fall apart. I fought for 2 years to get our life back on track , not just for us but our 4 teenaged children but my husband at the time did not share in this need to repair the damage and divorce soon followed. After hearing this memoir gives me a renewed faith that there are men out there that do stick by their spouse/family through the good times and the worst of times. After seeing so many divorces throughout my life I begin to wonder if true love that lasted into old age like that of my grandparents was a thing of the past but no it isnt ! Thank you so much for sharing your story with the world.

Honest and Forthcoming

Mark has written an honest and forthcoming memoir about his experience of his wife’s developing mental health disease, our mental health system, and the positive and negative ways he and his family coped and managed. Hearing his and Giulia‘s individual growth stories and their growth as a couple reminds me that we’re all doing the best we can even if we still have a long way to go. My heart cheered watching them slowly become a team and develop a plan and then execute it with much more positive results both from a disease management perspective and a relational health perspective. Thank you Mark and Giulia and extended family for allowing the world an honest peek behind the curtain.

touched me so much

This book really tugged on my heart . It was so honest and raw. I felt myself relate as a person who struggled with depression. I also related on a basic human level. At times I felt angry at Julia and sorry for Mark. I realize that this is the problem. We do not put enough understanding into mental health. I am sure that if there was anyway that she could have controlled her psychotic episodes then she would have. what a great book. now I need to make up the sleep for the two nights that I lost from not being able to put this book down.