Thursday, September 30, 2010

Gentle Reality Check - and LEAP with Xavier Amador, Ph.D.

Sometimes Ben’s behavior is so wonderfully ordinary that I almost let myself imagine that none of this ever happened: the hospitalizations, the calls to the police, the fear and chaos.  I can forget, for a while, that Ben has a serious mental illness.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Right Words, Right Time, can offer Hope

I was the keynote speaker this week for the newly-renamed Child and Family Guidance Center, in Connecticut, celebrating 85 years of support and guidance in the area.

Speaking about the importance of early detection, and also of the lasting effect of the "right words at the right time" from providers who are aware of the effect of mental illness on the entire family, I saw a number of heads nodding in agreement. There are so many, still suffering in silence, embarrassed to talk about an medical illness that happens to affect the brain of someone they love.