Friendship ,Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions (Ep. 75)

Guest: Jonathan Rosen, author

The Best Minds is Jonathan Rosen's brilliant and heartbreaking account of an American tragedy. It is a story about the bonds of family, friendship, and community; the promise of intellectual achievement; and the lure of utopian solutions.

“Brave and nuanced…an act of tremendous compassion and a literary triumph.” – The New York Times

“Immensely emotional and unforgettably haunting.” – Wall Street Journal

Acclaimed author Jonathan Rosen’s haunting investigation of the forces that led his closest childhood friend, Michael Laudor, from the heights of brilliant promise to the forensic psychiatric hospital where he has lived since killing the woman he loved. A story about friendship, love, and the price of self-delusion, The Best Minds explores the ways in which we understand—and fail to understand—mental illness.

We Ask:

1. What was the main reason you wrote this book?

2. Early in the book, you note a couple times how drawn Michael was to marijuana. We all noticed that in our sons as well. Knowing what you now know, what do you say to young people about marijuana?

3. We often talk about family loss, but friendship loss is seldom addressed. Do you miss Michael - the “old” Michael? What in the friendship stayed alive for you?

4. You often reference how intelligent Michael is. When did you first suspect Michael had a serious mental illness? Did you think his intelligence would protect him?

5. When Michael thought his parents were Nazis, he patrolled the house with a kitchen knife, to the point where his mother locked herself in the bedroom and called the police. This happened years before he stabbed Carrie to death under similar circumstances. Knowing what you now know, what help should Michael have gotten to head that off?

6. Mothers like us grieve terribly when our children become ill with schizophrenia. Part of that grief is the loneliness they endure. We see their friends becoming uncomfortable around them and eventually, when they have little or nothing in common anymore, moving on with their lives. We understand this, but still, it adds to our grief. Could you describe for us how this process feels from a good friend’s perspective?

7. You noted that,” Everyone said insight was the key, but the more insight Michael got, the sadder and lonelier and angrier he became.” We have noticed that in our sons. Do you think this is part of why the mental health rights groups advocate against involuntary treatment? What is your response to their position?

Insane: America's Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness (Ep 74)

Guest:Alisa Roth,author :

Alisa Roth is a print and radio journalist who has reported extensively on the criminal justice system. Her first book, Insane: America’s Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness, investigated the mental health crisis in our courts, jails, and prisons. The New Yorker called it an “essential exposé” and The New York Times said it “is rife with sharp, brutal details that pull the reader beyond the realms of abstract policy debates.” She is former mental health correspondent for American Public Media.

1. Describe one example of the worst (e.g. solitary confinement or punishment for self harm) and the best (e.g. PACE, program for accelerated  clinical effectiveness) you saw in your travels. How did we get here?

2. What is it like for the officers who work in prisons? What is in their training or lack of it that stands out? This isn’t what they signed up for…yet they are asked to do it.

3.Is it hard to identify those with mental illness at first?

4. What works , and what could help make it work better?

5. Could family involvement help?  Do prisons request or get histories of patients?

6. We often hear that during deinstitutionalization we took people out of institutions and the mirror image number people are now in jails and prisons. In “Insane,” you contend that the story is far more complicated. Please explain.

7. You note that race, poverty, and mental illness overlap in the criminal justice system, but of all the gross imbalances of our current approach to criminal justice, perhaps no group has been hurt as much as people with mental illness. Why is that your conclusion?

8. Why is society more willing to spend money on jails and prisons (e.g., mental health units) than regular mental health care?

9. You write that about 80 percent of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system have a substance use disorder in addition to the mental illness. Have we made any progress in treating these illnesses in tandem?

10. You write that 30 % of those with serious mental illness receive no treatment at all. What kinds of mental health care do we need more of?

11. You note that in many states, much of the inventory of beds is reserved for forensic patients, at the expense of civilian ones, thus sending more people with mental illness to jail and prison. Do we need more inpatient care and long-term care?

12. What should a better mental health care system look like?

13. You write that since the changes of the 1970s, many cite the barriers to involuntary commitment as one of the reasons for the increased criminalization of mental illness. Do you also subscribe to that theory?

14. Why is enrollment in mental health courts so limited, making them, as you write, unable to make a dent in the number of people with mental illness who end up in the criminal court system.

15. Are more states creating crisis centers like the one in San Antonio? Judge Steve Leifman, Miami-Dade, Florida has been able to close a jail due to his jail diversion program. Is this catching on around the country? Why or why not?

16. What was the response to your book? Any changes in the five years since it came out?

17. We understand you are working on a new book. Can you share what it’s about?

Links:

AlisaRoth on twitter/X - @alisa_roth

Website: http://alisaroth.com/

What to Do If Your Loved One Goes Missing (Ep. 73)

Guest: Charla Collins

Charla’s daughter Kylee lives with severe mental illness. After suffering a traumatic brain injury in her teens she eventually turned to drugs, and with little resources available to get her the long term mental health care she needs, she often disappears into the streets, going long periods without contact. During a particular instance in 2021, Charla went out to look for her.

Here, she shares the knowledge and wisdom she has gained through her many searches to find, and help, her daughter.

Be prepared.

Tips include:

• Calling the Police

• Databases of Missing Persons

• Providing Photographs

• Flyers

• Getting Help

• Budgeting your Money and Time

• What Happens When You find Them?

and more.

Listeners in the Spotlight, Act 2: Tell Us Your Story (Ep. 72)

The last time we invited our listeners to share their stories, the response was incredible - so we are doing it again!

Here are stories from families dealing with SMI (serious mental illness), including one gentleman who lives with the diagnosis himself.

You are not alone.

You’ll hear about early symptoms, incarcerations, fear, finances, the roller coaster of diagnoses, medications, and relapses…second hits, good periods, HIPAA barriers, and more….including, yes, some success and hope.

We end with ways we care for ourselves. Here is the list from the chat:

• outdoors/nature

• family and friends

• faith

• Swim

• walk, talk with friends, family

• inside Schizophrenia podcast

• NAMI/ Family to Family

• help others

• cry when you need to

• research

• Being an advocate!!!

• enjoy the good moments

• vacations...breaks

• 1. Antipsychotic drug 2. Family and friends 3. Disclosure - talking with people

• walk, podcasts, audiobooks, escape

• celebrate the small

• every little moment is big

• mindfulness

• LEAP is the best communication tool to help with your relationship with loved one with SMI

• connecting with people

• permission to have joy

• Meditation… chanting monks…

•  Dr. Jeffrey Thompson has some great CD’s with brainwaves that help to calm the rough waters and bring peace.

• you don't have to give up joy just because you have grief