Pete Earley

Dear Pete,

My 39-year old son killed himself today.

Josh hung himself in a solitary confinement cell in a prison south of St. Louis, Missouri.   He died alone, afraid, and powerless. Josh needed help. Instead, he got punishment.

Like all mothers, I had dreams for my children — dreams that didn’t include mental illness or prison. My husband and I knew very little about mental illness until four years ago when we received a long distance phone call from our daughter-in-law telling us that Josh’s behavior had changed and she needed our help to convince him that he should enter a hospital for psychiatric treatment. She explained that Josh was sleeping very little and was having racing thoughts. He’d become hyper-vigilant about national/government affairs and hyper-religious, praying in strange tongues. Josh was 35 years old at the time — a handsome and energetic young man who adored his wife and two children. Always ready to lend a helping hand, Josh would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He had a special place in his heart for people who were hurting.

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UPDATE TO EARLIER POST

My friends, Janine Francolini, founder of the Flawless Foundation, and Liza Long, the nationally known blogger who wrote I am Adam Lanza’s mother, have both joined the call for Disney/ABC to apologize for its tasteless Modern Family Halloween episode. The momentum continues. Thank you both!

Please read Janine’s blog on the Huffington Post entitled Not Such A Modern Family and Liza Long’s blog, entitled: Dear Claire Dunphy.

 

 

 

First Posted early morning 11-3-2014

My letter of complaint about last week’s tasteless Modern Family episode has now been read by more than 70,000 on my Facebook and webpage, and has been shared more than 200 times! A good number of readers have registered their disgust at the ABC website  about how the show’s writers ridiculed individuals with mental disorders. It appears this grassroots campaign has taken on a life of its own.

Stay tuned and thank you!

More than 25,400 of you read my blog on Facebook about last week’s tasteless Modern Family Halloween episode that ridiculed individuals with mental illnesses. Another 22,300 read it on my website, for a total of nearly 50,000. About 200 of you shared the post and a handful of other bloggers commented about the inappropriateness of the show. I especially appreciated the willingness of long-time advocate Harvey Rosenthal, blogger Chrisa Hickey, Flawless Foundation Head Janine Francolini, and Dr. Lloyd Sederer to share the blog.

Sadly, efforts to get the Huffington Post to chastise the media giant failed and it’s unfortunate that none of the large, mainline mental health and anti-stigma organizations chose to use the show as a teachable moment. But I have been told that Disney/ABC executives were made aware of our frustration and irritation.

A long journey begins with small steps. Thank you for speaking out!

SENDING THE MENTALLY ILL FROM GROUP HOMES TO AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE

By Pete Earley

Published Friday, October 31, 2014

Washington Post Editorial Page

The federal government is pushing two initiatives that will radically change how mental health services are delivered. Both are long overdue. So why, as the father of an adult son with a mental illness, am I skeptical?

The Justice Department is making states comply with a 1999 Supreme Court decision, Olmstead v. L.C. Two women brought the suit after they admitted themselves into a Georgia psychiatric hospital and then discovered that they couldn’t be discharged because no suitable housing in their community was willing to take them.

The justices held that unjustified segregation of people with disabilities constituted discrimination in violation of Title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Public entities must provide appropriate community-based services, including housing, for people confined in nursing homes, group homes and mental hospitals.

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An Open Letter to Anne Sweeney, Co-Chair Disney Media Networks President, Disney/ABC Television Group

Dear Ms. Sweeney,

I am writing to ask why Disney/ABC Television ridiculed and marginalized our nation’s veterans and millions of other Americans during the October 29th broadcast of its prime time television show, Modern Family.

Twenty-two veterans commit suicide each day in our nation. Nearly all have a diagnosable mental illness. Many have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that they suffered fighting for your safety and freedom. Yet, the writers of Modern Family: Halloween 3: AwesomeLand decided to make these proud warriors the butt of belittling jokes.

In the episode, Claire Dunphy decides to create the most frightening house in her neighborhood by transforming her front yard into a “scary insane asylum” complete with “deranged mental patients,” a “sadistic nurse” and “demented doctor.” The episode features daughter Alex chained to a hospital bed and Luke wearing a straight jacket – images that are intended to make viewers chuckle. Words such as “nut job, Looney Bin, cuckoo” are sprinkled throughout the dialogue — less viewers forget that nothing is more frightening than someone with a mental disorder.

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10-27-14 The last hurdle you faced before you were hired at The Washington Post was a face-to-face interview with Executive Editor Benjamin C. Bradlee.

In late 1980, I arrived at his office ready for a confrontation.

My good friend, Ward Sinclair,  a Post investigative reporter who was shepherding  me through the hiring process, had warned me that Bradlee often glared at a wannabe hire before asking, “Why should I hire you?” Depending on his mood, he might phrase it as “Why in the hell should I…”

Ward said it was Bradlee’s way of seeing if a news reporter had a spine. Bradlee didn’t like reporters who were easily intimidated.

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