When Grief is Pathologised: A Remarkable Memoir from Mary Ann Kenny

In yesterday’s Sunday Independent, I reviewed The Episode: A True Story of Loss, Madness and Healing by Mary Ann Kenny (Penguin Random House). It’s one of the most powerful books I’ve read this year.

The memoir opens with the sudden death of Kenny’s husband, but this is not simply a story of personal loss. It’s a searing indictment of how the Irish medical and psychiatric systems too often prioritise protocol over compassion. Kenny's descent into despair was met not with understanding but with an over-medicalised response that exacerbated her suffering.

As a psychotherapist, I was especially struck by how Kenny captures the subtle ways mental health care can fail those in crisis, not through dramatic errors, but by a thousand small, well-intentioned missteps.

Kenny’s elegant, unflinching prose makes this much more than a personal story. It’s a plea for a more humane approach to grief, trauma, and recovery – one that listens before diagnosing and stays present rather than prescribing its way out of discomfort.

You can read my full review in yesterday's Sunday Independent (Ireland).
👉 https://www.pressreader.com/ireland/sunday-independent-ireland/20250518/282093462644163

📚 The Episode: A True Story of Loss, Madness and Healing is available now https://amzn.eu/d/41MDiwO