A new book aims to empower families caring for loved ones with serious mental illness by providing a comprehensive guide to the technologies transforming psychiatric care—resources that most caregivers never knew existed. Connected Care: A Practical Guide to Technology for Serious Mental Illness, by Nicole Drapeau Gillen, is now available on Amazon and promises to demystify everything from AI-driven monitoring apps to pharmaceutical assistance programs.
Serious mental illness (SMI)—including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder—affects an estimated 14 million Americans, with tens of millions more serving as caregivers. Yet until now, no single resource has organized the rapidly expanding world of mental health technology into a practical guide for families. Gillen, whose daughter has SMI, wrote the book after her first title, Schizophrenia & Related Disorders: A Handbook for Caregivers, became an Amazon bestseller with a 4.9-star rating, signaling a desperate need for accessible information.
“At the Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center, our mission has always been to integrate patient care, research, and public outreach,” said Akira Sawa, MD, Director of the Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center. “Connected Care successfully fills the potential gap between them with language that families can actually act on, without sacrificing accuracy.”
The book covers 42+ vetted digital tools, 60 pharmaceutical portals across 16 companies, six types of financial assistance programs, 10 AI use cases in psychiatric care, and 19 practical checklists—all explained in plain language. It addresses critical areas such as passive sensing apps that detect behavioral shifts before a relapse, FDA-cleared prescription digital therapeutics, and tools to fight insurance denials, which occur at rates 85% higher for mental health claims than comparable medical claims.
Gillen also tackles health equity, noting that families already navigating a system not built for them—Latino, Black, and rural families—face compounded barriers. The book covers AI algorithmic bias, multilingual telehealth platforms, and culturally competent care resources. “My family spent ten years searching for answers for my mother's schizophrenia—ten years of wrong doors, language barriers, and a system that wasn't built for us,” said Maria Case, founder of Kompashion. “I wish Connected Care had existed then.”
“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,” said Gillen. The book is available in print and digital formats, and more information can be found at ResourcesForSMI.com.
