Vince with his mother, Dr. Claudia Granata, before her murder.

(10-18-22) Individuals with mental illnesses are more likely to be victims of crimes, rather than perpetrators. But a small percentage commit violent crimes and, what too often goes unnoticed, is that much of this violence is aimed at their own family members and caregivers.

A study published in the Clinical Social Work Journal noted that family violence has increased during the Covid crisis.

“Although most persons living with serious mental illness (SMI) do not act violently, this population is at a modestly increased risk of engaging in violence, with family members being the most common victims. Consequently, evidence suggests that a sizable minority of family members—many of whom are caregivers—have experienced violence by their relative with SMI. The risk of conflict and violence in families of persons with SMI is likely currently heightened due to a range of challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., interruption in treatment services and the occurrence of arguments while sheltering in place together).”

Two men whose lives were dramatically changed by family violence recently contacted me. Though their friendship may seem unlikely (because they come from different vantage points), they are now speaking out to help others and to push for treatment before tragedy.

Mother Is Murdered

“My family’s story is a tragic one,” Vince Granata told me in an email. “My little brother, Tim, began struggling with schizophrenia. At nineteen, away from home at college, his world transformed. He became convinced that his landlord was poisoning his food, that one of his classmates wore a necklace that was a demonic amulet, that shadows chased him across campus. Over the next three years, Tim struggled to find support and received only intermittent help from his college’s counseling services. Eventually, he returned home to our mother’s care.”

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(10-7-22) Three moms with sons who have schizophrenia question me during this podcast about such subjects as the new 988 number, being a dad in the trenches as opposed to being a mom, and NAMI’s “Big Tent” approach to mental illnesses. They remind me that not everyone with a serious mental illness gets better – rather there are good days with good memories and bad ones.

We must savor the good memories.

Three Moms in the Trenches is a thoughtful podcast created by Randye Kaye, author of Ben Behind His Voices: One Family’s Journey From the Chaos of Schizophrenia To Hope, along with Miriam Feldman, author of He Came With It: A Portrait of Motherhood and Madness, and Mindy Greiling, author of Fix What You Can: Schizophrenia and a Lawmakers Fight for Her Son.  

All three of these accomplished authors are veteran mental health advocates. Check out their joint podcast and their individual books which describe their journeys with an adult child with a serious mental illness.

Show Information Posted on Podcast.

Keys marking each year of stability. (Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

(10-3-22) Margalea Warner writes about her journey from being repeatedly hospitalized because of schizophrenia to her recovery today. To help others, she identified 27 “keys” that helped her. I’m delighted to share her story with you. 

I Found 27 Keys To Better Mental Health: You Can Find Yours

By Margalea Warner

The heaviness of my sigh matched the weight of the steel door that locked behind me with a loud clunk.

I hadn’t committed a crime and I wasn’t in jail.  I was in a locked hospital psychiatric ward because I had a brain disorder called schizophrenia.  The hospital wasn’t a terrible place to be.  Unlike in the hellish insane asylums half a century ago, patients weren’t restrained with straightjackets.  The awful practice of lobotomy had long since been discarded.  This hospital was renowned for evidence-based medical treatment.  There was a sunny day room.  Eating with other patients in the dining room helped things feel a little more normal.

Except I didn’t want to be here.  Again.

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Advocate and podcaster, Gabe Howard.

(9-27-22) Fellow advocate and a good friend of this blog, Gabe Howard, contacted me after reading my post about anosognosia, which some claim isn’t real. He wrote:

“I know the world is fascinated with anosognosia right now and my podcast, Inside Bipolar (from Healthline Media), covered it. As you know, I handle discussions like this with a little humor and by doing my best to see both sides. This podcast is hosted by me (lives with bipolar) and Dr. Nicole Washington (board certified psychiatrist) discussing the pros and cons (and a little history). “

About the author: Gabe is an award-winning speaker, author, and podcast host who lives with bipolar disorder. He’s the host of the #1 educational mental health podcast, Inside Mental Health, for Healthline Media, and the author of Mental Illness Is an Asshole. 

Nick Maher at sentencing hearing.

(9-22-22) Should someone with a severe mental illness be blamed for “choosing” to be ill if they refuse treatment and later become violent?

A prosecutor in Genesee County, New York, argued earlier this month that Nicholas Maher, age 38, deserved a maximum prison sentence because he’d refused to take medication and seek treatment prior to him fatally stabbing his 69 year-old father, Martin Maher, last year.

“Nick Maher is a college-educated person,” District Attorney Kevin Finnell told a judge. “He’s smart enough to know that he needs to get mental health treatment and that he needs to take his medication, even if it doesn’t make him feel real good. But he chose not to do that.” Finnell said Maher was clearly responsible for his father’s death, even though the prosecution and defense agreed that Maher was legally insane when he attacked his father.

Maher had no prior criminal history, but he had a long history of mental illness, his defense attorney, Public Defender Jerry Ader told the court. “I sincerely believe that our community, our country, has a difficult time dealing with mental illness, especially when it comes to mental illness in the criminal justice system.” Ader questioned whether Maher had enough insight to “choose to be ill.”

“Some (said) he chose to do these things, and that he could have done something else. And I’m just not quite sure that’s true. And I don’t think anyone can know for sure if that’s true. It’s easy to say because we don’t understand mental illness. But in my experience, when someone is placed in a psychiatric hospital, it could take years in order to get a patient, an inmate, to understand, to have the insight as to their illness, why they need help and why they need medication.”

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