Telling Our Stories

Since the publication of CRAZY, not a week goes by without me getting a letter or email from a distraught parent whose son or daughter has been arrested or is in jail because of a crime that was clearly tied to mental illness. The most common comment that I hear when I am on the road giving speeches about my book is: “You told my story.”

I always feel inadequate when I try to answer requests from other parents seeking help. I’m not a lawyer. I urge people to contact their local National Alliance on Mental Illness chapter or Mental Health America for guidance. I sometimes suggest  they contact the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. I ask if their local community has Crisis Intervention Trained police officers, a mental health court, or a jail diversion program.

And then I ask them to consider going public. I tell them newspaper and television reporters would be interested if they knew a person was put in jail because of a mental illness. Not everyone feels comfortable being interviewed. It also is never a good idea to expose someone you love to the media if he/she wants to keep their illness secret. Even though my son urged me to write my book, I spent many sleepless nights worrying that our openness about his arrest and illness would harm his future.

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Lack of Leadership In Fairfax County Hurts Us

Lack of Leadership in Fairfax County has Failed Us

As my recent flight began its descent into Dulles International Airport, I felt a sense of frustration, embarrassment and irritation. The cause is a lack of leadership in my home county by the Fairfax County Bar Association, Commonwealth’s Attorney, and our local judiciary. Those of us with loved ones who have severe mental disorders deserve better.

First, some background.

I was returning from Utah where I had been invited to give the opening keynote at the 1st Annual Intermountain Mental Health Court Conference being held at Utah State University. Before the conference, I’d appeared on the local NPR affiliate in Logan with Judge Kevin F. Allen, a District Court Judge who oversees a mental health court in Utah.  A political conservative, Allen told listeners that he had been wary of mental health courts until he saw first-hand how they can help break the jail-streets-jail cycle that many persons with mental disorders get caught in and  — also how the courts actually save tax dollars.

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Changing the world, one person at a time.

What do a beauty pageant winner, a retired state probation officer, a former homeless man, and a grieving father have in common? 

Pete Earley talking with Nita Brown, NAMI President Arapahoe Douglas Counties

Those of you who read my blog regularly can easily guess the answer. All four have had their lives impacted by mental illnesses. But that is not why I am writing about them. I want to share their stories with you because of how they have chosen to react to the hurdles they’ve encountered.

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Top Notch, Inspirational Speakers!

When I’m asked to recommend a speaker, I immediately mention four mental health advocates.

I’ve seen Fred Frese, PhD., talk for two hours and still leave the audience wanting more. Diagnosed with schizophrenia while in the U.S. Marine Corps, Fred could have easily ended-up in the back mental ward of a state institution, forgotten and   overlooked. Instead, he managed to win his freedom, take control over his symptoms and become a strident consumer advocate. Along the way, he earned a doctorate in psychology, ran a hospital ward and taught as a professor. As a speaker, he is an emotional powerhouse who causes listeners to leap to their feet.

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Common Sense, Huge Impact

One of the lessons  that I’ve learned visiting mental health programs in 46 states during the past four years is how often a small, common sense change in policy can have a huge impact on helping persons who are ill. 

I saw an example of this when I toured the Los Angeles City Jail, which many of you know has become the largest de facto public mental heath facility in our nation with an average population of 1,400 prisoners with mental disorders.

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A Lecture from a Hero of Mine

I was delighted when I opened my email and discovered that Major Sam CochrenMajor Sam Cochran, who often is called the “Father of Crisis Intervention Training,” had sent me a note. Sam is one of my heroes and has probably saved more lives of police officers, persons with mental illness, and their loved ones, than anyone else in our nation in recent times. He is also a modest and decent guy who is dedicated to helping persons such as my son even though he does not have a family member with a mental illness.

I tell Sam’s  story in my book and describe the key role that he played in developing CIT in Memphis, then spreading it across the nation and now internationally. Talk about someone who is making an impact!

The reason Sam was writing was to give me a well-deserved lecture — in his gentle, Southern way.

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