Bestselling Author and Mental Health Advocate
Update: The clip from the show has been added to the post.
Candy Crowley is examining the State of the Union: Mental Health on Sunday, 1-16-11, and I will be one of her guests. Dr. Fred Frese and I are scheduled to be interviewed between 9:15 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. EST about our experiences in the mental health system. Continue reading to view the clip from the show.
I didn’t write the headline, but I did write this Op Ed piece for USA Today. The newspaper posted it on line this morning. The article will be published Monday in the print edition and I will be answering questions via USA CHAT on Monday afternoon beginning at 1:30 p.m. EST. Given the controversy, I expect there to be a lively discussion. 
Don’t BLame Loughner’s Parents
USA TODAY
These are some of the comments I’ve heard and read on the Internet about Randy and Amy Loughner, whose son has been charged with shooting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and 12 others, and killing six bystanders.
It’s unlikely the Loughners’ statement — that they “don’t understand why this happened”— will soothe the criticism and anger aimed at them. But as the parent of an adult son with a severe mental illness who has been arrested, I can sympathize with the Loughners and testify that there are reasons why a parent can be caught off guard.
I am scheduled to be one of the guests being interviewed on Tuesday, January 11, at 10:00am EST on the Diane Rehm Show, which is broadcast on many NPR stations.
I will be discussing the shootings in Tuscon.
Diane will be accepting calls so if you have an opinion to voice, please call the show.
As I write this, we still don’t know if Jared Loughner had been diagnosed with a mental disorder before his weekend shooting rampage. Loughner is the 22 year-old accused of wounding U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D.-Ariz.) and killing a federal judge along with five others in Tuscon. 
The Washington Post and New York Times both reported that officials at Pima Community College told Loughner and his parents in October that he would not be able to continue as a student until he obtained a clearance from a mental health professional that certified he was not a danger to himself or others.
That revelation certainly implies that Loughner was exhibiting symptoms of a mental disorder, but no one should automatically assume that.
Stories such as Loughner’s are upsetting to those of us who have loved ones with mental illnesses. That’s especially true if your loved one has tangled with the police while psychotic because you know how quickly an incident can turn violent.
If it turns out that Loughner did have a diagnosed mental disorder, I hope the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Mental Health America (MHA), and other leading advocacy groups do not run for cover.
Instead, they should follow the example that NAMI Ohio set last week when Sheriff’s Deputy Suzanne Hopper, age 40, the mother of two children, was murdered by a man with a severe mental illness.
Washingtonian magazine has named Trudy Harsh as one of its twelve Washingtonians of the Year in its current January issue.
“For 39 years, The Washingtonian has honored those who bring help and hope to the neediest among us, give at-risk children a fighting chance, enrich our educational and cultural lives, and make Washington a better place for all of us,” the magazine announced in introducing this year’s winners.
I first wrote about Trudy last year on Mother’s Day in this blog after seeing for myself 
how she was helping persons with mental disorders find supportive housing in Fairfax County, Virginia. Click to continue…
Pete Earley is the bestselling author of such books as The Hot House and Crazy. When he is not spending time with his family, he tours the globe advocating for mental health reform.
As a former reporter for The Washington Post, Pete uses his journalistic background to take a fair-minded approach to the story all while weaving an interesting tale for the reader.