A new book aims to equip families of people with serious mental illness with the knowledge to leverage technology for better care. "Connected Care: A Practical Guide to Technology for Serious Mental Illness," by Nicole Drapeau Gillen, is now available on Amazon. It is the first resource to organize the rapidly expanding world of mental health technology into a practical guide written specifically for caregivers and families, not clinicians or researchers.
Serious mental illness—including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder—affects an estimated 14 million Americans, with millions more serving as caregivers. Yet until now, no single resource has compiled the available technology into an accessible format. Gillen, whose daughter has serious mental illness, wrote the book after her first book, "Schizophrenia & Related Disorders: A Handbook for Caregivers," became an Amazon best seller, highlighting the demand for practical guidance.
"Connected Care" delivers over 42 vetted digital tools, 60 pharmaceutical portals across 16 companies, six types of financial assistance programs, ten AI use cases in psychiatric care, and 19 practical checklists—all explained in plain language. Key areas include pharmaceutical patient assistance programs that can reduce medication costs, passive sensing apps and wearable devices that detect behavioral shifts preceding relapse, and AI tools used in psychiatric care. The book also covers FDA-cleared prescription digital therapeutics, telehealth platforms, and legal rights technology such as psychiatric advance directives and insurance denial appeals tools.
The mental health system was not built for families, but technology has created a parallel system that families can use to get better care, save money, and prevent crises. However, most families do not know these resources exist. The book addresses health equity concerns, noting that families who access the best technology are often those already skilled at navigating the system. For Latino, Black, rural, and other underserved communities, the technology gap compounds existing barriers. "Connected Care" covers AI algorithmic bias, multilingual telehealth platforms, culturally competent care resources, and financial programs for underserved populations.
Dr. Akira Sawa, Director of the Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center, endorsed the book, stating, "Connected Care successfully fills the potential gap between them with language that families can actually act on, without sacrificing accuracy. This is the kind of resource that belongs in the hands of every family and everyone involved in mental healthcare."
Gillen said, "The mental health system was not built for families. But technology has quietly created a parallel system that families can use to get better care, save money, and prevent the next crisis. Most families have no idea any of it exists."
The book is available in print and digital formats on Amazon. More information can be found at ResourcesForSMI.com.
