It’s always encouraging to see the conversation about mental health in this country moving forward in a positive direction. On June 3, President Obama used his bully pulpit to do just that by convening a National Conference on Mental Health at the White House. He opened last Monday’s conference with a speech expressing his desire […]
Category Archives: Stigma
Young Minds Advocacy – Children's Mental Health Awareness Week
This week, in honor of Children's/Young People's Mental Health Awareness Week, Hear Me Out will feature two guest bloggers sharing their personal experiences of living with mental illness. These two young women are …
PBS interview about involuntary treatment for mental illness
PBS published an interview about a law in the state of California that promotes involuntary treatment for mental illness. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec12/lauraslaw_12-26.html In this interview, a range of opinions are expressed, and I find it to be more palatable than the New York Times article that I read yesterday. Even so, I would like to add some comments in […]
Why Diagnosing Adam Lanza Is A Problem
Augie Pantellas, a sixth-grader from Broomall, Pa., got quiet when he heard that the man who killed 27 people in Connecticut on Friday may have had Asperger’s syndrome. Augie, too, has Asperger’s. His mother, Michelle, could tell he was contemplating the news, comparing himself with Adam Lanza. “I turned to him immediately and told him, […]
Stigma and the Hidden Schizophrenia Epidemic
This is a very good article written by a person who cares for his son with schizophrenia. Most people with schizophrenia, I hear, are not open about having the illness. And close family members, too, tend to keep quiet about having a family member with schizophrenia. This article goes into why people keep silent about the […]