A new book, Connected Care: A Practical Guide to Technology for Serious Mental Illness, by Nicole Drapeau Gillen, aims to bridge the gap between emerging mental health technologies and the families who need them most. Available on Amazon, the book is the first to organize digital tools, pharmaceutical portals, and AI applications into a practical guide for caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and related conditions.
Gillen, whose daughter has serious mental illness (SMI), previously authored Schizophrenia & Related Disorders: A Handbook for Caregivers, which became an Amazon bestseller. Her new work addresses the technology gap families face. According to the book, 14 million Americans are affected by SMI, yet no single resource has compiled the available technology for caregivers until now.
Connected Care features 42+ vetted digital tools, 60 pharmaceutical portals from 16 companies, six types of financial assistance programs, ten AI use cases in psychiatric care, and 19 practical checklists. Resources include passive sensing apps that detect behavioral shifts before relapse, FDA-cleared prescription digital therapeutics, and tools to fight insurance denials, which occur 85% more often for mental health claims.
Dr. Akira Sawa, Director of the Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center, endorsed the book, stating it "fills the potential gap between patient care, research, and public outreach with language that families can actually act on."
The book also addresses health equity, covering AI algorithmic bias, multilingual telehealth platforms, and culturally competent care for underserved populations. Maria Case, founder of Kompashion and NAMI National Speaker, noted that her family spent ten years seeking help for her mother's schizophrenia, adding, "I wish Connected Care had existed then."
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." The book is available in print and digital formats on Amazon, with more information at ResourcesForSMI.com.
