News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Life
Culture & Art
Hobbies
News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Culture & Art
Hobbies
"Don't Shoot My Son!" NAMI Advocate Writes About Son's Incarceration - Pete Earley
(5-9-24) “I hope my book can bring awareness to those struggling with a mental illness or those who know someone who is, to not feel alone in this lifelong battle. I do not want this to happen to anyone else,” explained Colleen Phipps when she sent me a copy of her book, Walk Barefoot InClick to continue…
Popular Podcast Advocate Challenges Claim That Bipolar Sparks Creativity - Pete Earley
Vincent Van Gogh painted Starry Night while in a mental institution. (4-26-24) Are bipolar disorder and creativity linked? In her groundbreaking 1996 book, Touched By Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament, Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, argued that “many artists subject to exalted highs and despairing lows were in fact engaged in a struggle with clinicallyClick to continue…
Cancer Update: Promising News, Determination & Hope. My New Goal: "Substantially" More Years - Pete Earley
Photo courtesy of Peg’s Foundation, from The Morgan Impact Awards, Pete and Patti, 2021 (4-3-24) Since learning in February that I have Stage 4 lung cancer, I have undergone a series of scans and tests. I can now share some hopeful news. My cancer is being treated with targeted therapy, which only can be doneClick to continue…
Your Kind Words Offered Me Hope: Thank You! - Pete Earley
(3-3-24) I want to thank all of you who read my blog – A New Journey: I Have Stage 4 Lung Cancer – yesterday and offered me your support, prayers, and best wishes. Writer Hal Lindsey once wrote: “Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes withoutClick to continue…
Your Kind Words Offered Me Hope: Thank You! - Pete Earley
(3-3-24) I want to thank all of you who read my blog – A New Journey: I Have Stage 4 Lung Cancer – yesterday and offered me your support, prayers, and best wishes. Writer Hal Lindsey once wrote: “Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes withoutClick to continue…
A New Journey: I Have Stage Four Lung Cancer - Pete Earley
(3-2-24) I was staring at the wall clock in the INOVA Fair Oaks (Va.) Hospital when the emergency room doctor spoke but I cannot tell you now what time it was. I only know that it was at that single moment when my entire life changed. Just before Christmas, I’d fallen while hiking in theClick to continue…
Parents Successfully Sue Hospital After Son's Suicide: Doctors Agree To Listen & Not Hide Behind HIPAA - Pete Earley
(12-15-23) Pat Milam was desperate. He knew his adult son, Matthew, was planning on killing himself. But doctors at the Ochsner Hospital/Clinic where his hospitalized son was being treated for bipolar disorder and paranoid sczhophrenia weren’t listening. The more Pat tried to sound alarms, the more doctors at the large medical center on the outskirtsClick to continue…
Parents Successfully Sue Hospital After Son's Suicide: Doctors Agree To Listen & Not Hide Behind HIPAA - Pete Earley
(12-15-23) Pat Milam was desperate. He knew his adult son, Matthew, was planning on killing himself. But doctors at the Ochsner Hospital/Clinic where his hospitalized son was being treated for bipolar disorder and paranoid sczhophrenia weren’t listening. The more Pat tried to sound alarms, the more doctors at the large medical center on the outskirtsClick to continue…
"No Easy Task" - Gabe Howard's Mom Talks About Her Son's Bipolar Disorder - Pete Earley
(11-7-23) Gabe Howard is no stranger to readers of this blog. He’s a popular speaker, host of Inside Mental Health: A Healthline Media Podcast, and author of Mental Illness is an Asshole. For the first time since Gabe’s bipolar disorder surfaced, his mother, Susan Howard, talked openly about her son’s mental health on the Inside BipolarClick to continue…
Cancer Claims Dorothy Edwards: Passionate Housing Advocate Who Moved from Homelessness And Addiction To N.Y. Corporate Boardroom - Pete Earley
(11-2-23) We’ve lost a wonderful housing and mental health care advocate. I served with Dorothy Edwards on the board of the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CHS). She died last month from rapid, advanced cancer at age 65. For eight years, she and her dog, Gunter, lived under a freeway overpass in Greater Los Angles. SheClick to continue…
Dr. E. Fuller Torrey Describes Living With Parkinson's Disease, Calls For More Govt. Research - Pete Earley
(10-31-23) For decades Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, the founder of the Treatment Advocacy Center and a tireless advocate for better health care, has argued that the federal government should better fund mental health research. Now, at age 86, he is calling for more federal research into the causes and potential cures for Parkinson Disease. In thisClick to continue…
Keeping Virginia Inmate With Paranoid Schizophrenia Locked Up "An Injustice" NAMI Virginia Declares - Pete Earley
(8-25-23) The Virginia state chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness has joined the campaign to move Christopher Sharikas, an longly-held inmate with paranoid sczhophrenia, from prison into a mental facility. NAMI Virginia Executive Director Kathy Harkey explained in a letter to Sharikas’ pro bono attorney Jonathan P. Sheldon: NAMI Virginia believes that ChristopherClick to continue…
Keeping Virginia Inmate With Paranoid Schizophrenia Locked Up "An Injustice" NAMI Virginia Declares - Pete Earley
(8-25-23) The Virginia state chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness has joined the campaign to move Christopher Sharikas, an longly-held inmate with paranoid sczhophrenia, from prison into a mental facility. NAMI Virginia Executive Director Kathy Harkey explained in a letter to Sharikas’ pro bono attorney Jonathan P. Sheldon: NAMI Virginia believes that ChristopherClick to continue…
We Can & Must Fix Our Mental Health System - Here's How - Mother Writes - Pete Earley
(10-2-23) I’ve written before about Jerri Clark’s tireless efforts to help her son, Calvin, who died in 2019. Rather than defeating her, the loss made her even more determined to advocate for other parents and their children as evidenced by this recent OP that she wrote for The Seattle Times. Thank you Jerri. The mentalClick to continue…
He's Being Held Twice As Long In Prison As Someone Without A Mental Illness. Now Virginia Correctional Officials Are Ignoring A Prison Video Showing He Didn't Attack Guards - Pete Earley
(7-24-23) I’ve heard stories about individuals with serious mental illnesses being trapped and mistreated in our criminal justice system. The case of Christopher Sharikas is among the most egregious, by far. Sharikas, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, has been imprisoned in Virginia for 26 years after being convicted of felonies that carried aClick to continue…
He's Being Held Twice As Long In Prison As Someone Without A Mental Illness. Now Virginia Correctional Officials Are Ignoring A Prison Video Showing He Didn't Attack Guards - Pete Earley
(7-24-23) I’ve heard stories about individuals with serious mental illnesses being trapped and mistreated in our criminal justice system. The case of Christopher Sharikas is among the most egregious, by far. Sharikas, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, has been imprisoned in Virginia for 26 years after being convicted of felonies that carried aClick to continue…
Determined Mother Put Words Into Action To Help Son With Schizophrenia - Pete Earley
(7-5-23) Lisa Taliaferro and her husband, Chris, felt cursed. Three of their five children were diagnosed as young adults with varying degrees of schizophrenia. They began to believe that they hit the trifecta! “We began questioning God,” Lisa recalled in a recent interview. “What did we do wrong? Why Us?” Over time, the deeply religiousClick to continue…
Sheriff Stacey A. Kincaid Cares About Fairfax Residents With Mental Illnesses: She Deserves Your Vote - Pete Earley
(6-13-23) I don’t often engage in politics on this page because my focus is on bettering our mental health care system and that should be a non-partisan goal. But I feel obligated to endorse local candidates – regardless of their party affiliation – who are knowledgable about mental health issues and are working to improveClick to continue…
Searching For Light: A Son's Death, Mental Illness, Suicide, & Drug Addiction - Pete Earley
(6-16-23) It is important for families and individuals to share their stories. Doing so puts a human face on mental illnesses and addictions and, by personalizing these painful memories, helps educate the public. A while back, I posted a blog about Renate LeDue’s moving book: For The Love Of Jeremy – A Memoir of aClick to continue…
Sheriff Stacey A. Kincaid Cares About Fairfax Residents With Mental Illnesses: She Deserves Your Vote - Pete Earley
(6-13-23) I don’t often engage in politics on this page because my focus is on bettering our mental health care system and that should be a non-partisan goal. But I feel obligated to endorse local candidates – regardless of their party affiliation – who are knowledgable about mental health issues and are working to improveClick to continue…
A Friend Asks: Are You Retired? No, Well, Sorta. A Personal Note To Readers - Pete Earley
(6-7-23) My friend and tireless California NAMI advocate Mark Gale recently asked me in an email if I had retired. Well, no and sorta. I have written a weekly blog about mental health for the last 16 years. As of today, that’s 1,688 blog posts. While I will continue posting my thoughts on thisClick to continue…
A Friend Asks: Are You Retired? No, Well, Sorta. A Personal Note To Readers - Pete Earley
(6-7-23) My friend and tireless California NAMI advocate Mark Gale recently asked me in an email if I had retired. Well, no and sorta. I have written a weekly blog about mental health for the last 16 years. As of today, that’s 1,688 blog posts. While I will continue posting my thoughts on thisClick to continue…
CIT Training For First Responders Comes Under Fire: Is That Criticism Fair? - Pete Earley
(5-22-23) I recently was sent this story about Crisis Intervention Team training, which aired a while ago on National Public Radio. Because I support CIT training and know of incidents where CIT trained officers have saved lives, I was a bit concerned about the headline. The problem is in implementation, choosing empathic officers and communityClick to continue…
How Should We House Murderers In Prison - Solitary Confinement? Colorado Public Radio Questions Me About 'No Human Contact." - Pete Earley
(5-24-23) What should society do with men who commit multiple murders in prisons and have no qualms about killing again? Andrea Dukakis, a producer/reporter/host for Colorado Matters on Colorado Public Radio, raised this question during a phenomenal interview with me about my new book, NO HUMAN CONTACT: Solitary Confinement, Maximum Security, and Two Inmates WhoClick to continue…
How Should We House Murderers In Prison - Solitary Confinement? Colorado Public Radio Questions Me About 'No Human Contact." - Pete Earley
(5-24-23) What should society do with men who commit multiple murders in prisons and have no qualms about killing again? Andrea Dukakis, a producer/reporter/host for Colorado Matters on Colorado Public Radio, raised this question during a phenomenal interview with me about my new book, NO HUMAN CONTACT: Solitary Confinement, Maximum Security, and Two Inmates WhoClick to continue…
CIT Training For First Responders Comes Under Fire: Is That Criticism Fair? - Pete Earley
(5-22-23) I recently was sent this story about Crisis Intervention Team training, which aired a while ago on National Public Radio. Because I support CIT training and know of incidents where CIT trained officers have saved lives, I was a bit concerned about the headline. The problem is in implementation, choosing empathic officers and communityClick to continue…
Blood On The Razor Wire: An Excellent Prison Memoir By A Convict Who Beat The Odds - Pete Earley
This post is about a prison memoir, BLOOD ON THE RAZOR WIRE, not mental illness. (5-8-23) Chad Marks turned his life around by sheer determination and guts. Raised by a single mother on welfare in a poor Rochester neighborhood, he started selling cocaine when he was thirteen years old. Three years later, he was sellingClick to continue…
Would Jordan Neely Be Alive If New York City Had A Care Court? "Coercive Compassion." - Pete Earley
(5-9-23) Would Jordan Neely, a homeless, African American New Yorker with a history of mental illness, who was strangled to death in a subway car by a Marine Corps veteran, be alive today if New York had a so-called Care Court? Care Courts are California’s latest attempt to reduce homeless, especially among those with mentalClick to continue…
Blood On The Razor Wire: An Excellent Prison Memoir By A Convict Who Beat The Odds - Pete Earley
This post is about a prison memoir, BLOOD ON THE RAZOR WIRE, not mental illness. (5-8-23) Chad Marks turned his life around by sheer determination and guts. Raised by a single mother on welfare in a poor Rochester neighborhood, he started selling cocaine when he was thirteen years old. Three years later, he was sellingClick to continue…
Tireless Advocate Norm Ornstein Tells MSNBC Audience How To Fix Our Broken Mental Health Care System - Pete Earley
(5-4-23) Norm Ornstein, who lost his son to mental illness, did a fabulous job this morning on the MSNBC show, Morning Joe, calling for better mental health care in our nation. A tireless advocate for those living with a serious mental illnesses, Ornstein echoed many of the same points that he and fellow advocate, Miami DadeClick to continue…
Blaming Parents: 2 Prominent Psychiatrists Mistreated By Their Own Profession When Helping Daughter - Pete Earley
(5-3-23) Dr. Mark M. Munetz is a familiar and well-respected name in mental illness/health circles. He is co-author of the ground breaking Sequential Intercept Model that identifies key points in the criminal justice system when individuals with serious mental illnesses can be shifted into treatment and rehabilitation. He and his wife, Lois S. Freedman areClick to continue…
I Use The Release Of My New Book To Focus On Prisoners With Serious Mental Illnesses - Pete Earley
(5-1-23) Literary Hub, a popular and prestigious website about books, asked if I would submit an article about my new book, NO HUMAN CONTACT: Solitary Confinement, Maximum Security, and Two Inmates Who Changed the System. I used this much appreciated opportunity to describe my book and also focus the discussion on how individuals with serious mentalClick to continue…
Virginia's disAbility Law Center Digging Into Death Of Irvo Otieno. 7 Deputies, 3 Hospital Workers Criminally Charged - Pete Earley
(4-28-23) I am delighted that Colleen Miller, director of the disAbility Law Center of Virginia, is pushing forward with an investigation into the death of Irvo Otieno in Henrico County. As reported in The Washington Post, Otieno, a 28 year-old Black man, was in handcuffs and leg restraints when Henrico County sheriff’s deputies and workersClick to continue…
Heroic Lawyer Discovers Abuses In Federal Prisons: Horrible Stuff Documented In My New Book - Pete Earley
“After he ate his finger, they were taking him out of his cell and one of the officers asked him what his finger tasted like.” (4-25-23) My new book: No Human Contact: Solitary Confinement, Maximum Security, and Two Inmates Who Changed the System, goes on sale today and while it documents the stories of two prisonersClick to continue…
Advocate Creates 'Patients Not Prisoners' Non-profit, Using My Book To Spark Community Discussion - Pete Earley
(4-11-23) A few months ago, I was contacted by Lisa Taliaferro, who was launching a new non-profit called Patients Not Prisoners based in St. Augustine, Florida. She’d read my book and wanted to use it to help draw attention to the inappropriate incarceration ofClick to continue…
Childbirth Caused Rage, Depression: Podcast Interview Examines Mental Health & Having A Baby - Pete Earley
(4-13-22) Dr. Nicole Washington and my good friend and nationally recognized mental health advocate, Gabe Howard, recently interviewed Jessica Ekhoff, on his popular podcast, INSIDE MENTAL HEALTH, as heard on the PsychCentral network. I posted a blog last year about Jessica’s book, Super Sad Unicorn: A Memoir of Mania, that describes her experiences after giving birth to her first child. IClick to continue…
Advocate Creates 'Patients Not Prisoners' Non-profit, Using My Book To Spark Community Discussion - Pete Earley
(4-11-23) A few months ago, I was contacted by Lisa Taliaferro, who was launching a new non-profit called Patients Not Prisoners based in St. Augustine, Florida. She’d read my book and wanted to use it to help draw attention to the inappropriate incarceration ofClick to continue…
U.S. Senator Openly Discusses His Depression - Courageous Candor That Challenges Stigma - Pete Earley
(4-4-23) Thomas Eagleton was forced to resign as George McGovern’s presidential running mate in 1972 after Eagleton acknowledged that he’d been treated for depression. This Sunday on CBS Sunday Morning, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) told Jane Pauley (who has written about her own mental issues) about his debilitating depression. In this editorial, The Washington PostClick to continue…