A Common Struggle by Patrick Kennedy is a memoir chronicling his struggles with mental illness and addiction. Patrick uses himself and his family as an example of the stigma and confusion surrounding mental illness in the US and explains the history of mental illness and mental health policy in that context. Born in July 1967, Patrick Kennedy was the youngest of three children born to Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy and Virginia Joan Bennett Kennedy. Patrick suffered from severe asthma from a young age. While he did not like having asthma, he did like that his father paid more attention to him when he was having asthmatic issues. Patrick idolized his father and loved going on sailing trips with just the two of them. He also enjoyed the time he was able to spend with him on the campaign trail when Ted was campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1980...