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Expert On Criminalization Of Mental Illness Describes His Personal Journey With Bipolar Disorder - Pete Earley
(11-20-24) Risdon N. Slate, an expert about the criminalization of mental illness, has published a memoir, Resilience In The Storm: My Journey With Mental Illness, describing his personal struggles, lessons learned and his recovery. I asked him to share part of his story. Dear Pete, this chapter captures me in a full-blown manic episode after myClick to continue…
Shame On Jeff Bezos For Putting Profits Ahead of Responsible Journalism - Pete Earley
THIS IS NOT ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH. IT IS ABOUT JOURNALISM. (11-1-24) I’ve been a working journalist since I turned 17 and I have strong feelings about the freedom of the press and open discussions. Which is why I was disappointed this week when Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos decided to kill an editorial in hisClick to continue…
Shame On Jeff Bezos For Putting Profits Ahead of Responsible Journalism - Pete Earley
THIS IS NOT ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH. IT IS ABOUT JOURNALISM. (11-1-24) I’ve been a working journalist since I turned 17 and I have strong feelings about the freedom of the press and open discussions. Which is why I was disappointed this week when Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos decided to kill an editorial in hisClick to continue…
Dr. E. Fuller Torrey Quits NAMI. Claims Its Focus On "Mental Health" Minimizes Serious Mental Illnesses. - Pete Earley
Torrey calls NAMI a Mental Health America “Clone” Embarrassed to belong in advocacy group he once championed. (9-20-24) Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, who played a crucial early role in helping the National Alliance on Mental Illness become the nation’s largest and most influential mental health organization, is ending his 40 plus-year affiliation with the grassrootsClick to continue…
Podcast Host Asks About The Importance Of "Human Connections" Which Is Essential To All Of Us - Pete Earley
(8-20-24) Six months after I was diagnosed with Stage Four Lung cancer, I remain in remission with only a few troubling side effects. I continue to spend my time focused on my family (especially my local grandchildren) and my health, but recently I agreed to sit down with Poonam Sharma creator of The Release Podcast.Click to continue…
Dr. E. Fuller Torrey Quits NAMI. Claims Its Focus On "Mental Health" Minimizes Serious Mental Illnesses. - Pete Earley
Torrey calls NAMI a Mental Health America “Clone” Embarrassed to belong in advocacy group he once championed. (9-20-24) Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, who played a crucial early role in helping the National Alliance on Mental Illness become the nation’s largest and most influential mental health organization, is ending his 40 plus-year affiliation with the grassrootsClick to continue…
Podcast Host Asks About The Importance Of "Human Connections" Which Is Essential To All Of Us - Pete Earley
(8-20-24) Six months after I was diagnosed with Stage Four Lung cancer, I remain in remission with only a few troubling side effects. I continue to spend my time focused on my family (especially my local grandchildren) and my health, but recently I agreed to sit down with Poonam Sharma creator of The Release Podcast.Click to continue…
"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…
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…
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…