Fix What You Can
Is Now Released!
Fix What You Can is a frank account of a mother who was a state legislator when her son Jim's first psychotic episode manifested itself in a delusion demanding he kill her. Her seat at the table helped her to change the policies that would have barred her from saving his life. She first had to overcome her fear that Jim would be like her beloved grandmother who disappeared into a mental hospital when she was 10. Given the heightened national interest in mental illness today and the millions of people affected, this book is timely. It spans 20 years and covers new ground about living with schizophrenia, adding understanding and new appreciation of the challenges.
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Latest news
Does a Law No One Knows About Have Any Effect?
Posted Oct. 6, 2020 in Mitchell Hamline Law Journal of Public Policy and Practice/ The Quadriga If a tree falls in the forest but no one hears it, does it make a noise? If a law is passed but no one is educated to implement it, does it have any effect? The hardest I ever Read more about Does a Law No One Knows About Have Any Effect?[…]
Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month
People are often surprised when someone attempts or dies by suicide. Our family was shocked the first time our son Jim overdosed, trying to obey voices in his head. Jim has schizo-affective disorder. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 5 percent of people with schizophrenia commit suicide, five times the rate of the Read more about Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month[…]
Separating police, mental health response isn’t easy
Published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on June 9, 2020 When I read in the Star Tribune (June 8) that some city council members are calling for dismantling the Minneapolis Police Department, suggesting instead sending mental health professionals to respond to certain emergencies, I thought of my son’s first mental health crisis. His psychologist had Read more about Separating police, mental health response isn’t easy[…]
Quarantine
Many people are seeking mental health support during the sheltering-in-place COVID-19 siege. Social media is fraught with posts about the anxiety and depression it can cause, and the National Institute of Mental Health is researching how stressors related to the virus affect mental health. Our son Jim, who has a mental illness, is staying with Read more about Quarantine[…]
Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, Hero
In February, I asked Dr. E Fuller Torrey for a testimonial for my soon-to-be-released book about my son’s mental illness (Fix What You Can: Schizophrenia and a Lawmaker’s Fight for Her Son). Dr. Torrey signed his response letter “Fuller,” thrilling me more than a hand-signed letter I once received from a President I admired. He Read more about Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, Hero[…]
Housing First
A recent hearing of the Minnesota House of Representatives Housing Committee probed the intersection of mental illness and housing. I expected to hear stories of despair and facts about dire shortages. I wasn’t disappointed, but people who told their stories about how their lives were turned around when they finally found a safe place Read more about Housing First[…]
Young Brains & Marijuana
A Letter to my fifteen-year-old granddaughter Dear Taylor, I learned a lot about marijuana and mental illness at a recent National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Conference. I want to share some of it with you while it’s still fresh on my mind, because it scared me. I don’t want you to get schizophrenia like Read more about Young Brains & Marijuana[…]
Families Can Help
Family involvement is an evidenced-based practice shown through research to help people who have serious mental illness do better. Yet, many parents like me and other family members struggle to be included in the mental health system charged to care for our loved ones. Conferences Omit Parents This oversight is furthered along by the mental Read more about Families Can Help[…]
Should We Expect People With Serious Mental Illness to Work?
I struggle with my expectations for our son who has a serious mental illness. When he’s doing well he seems full of potential, but that is not always the case. Many mental health professionals seem to have the same dilemma. Dr. E. Fuller Torrey In the seventh edition of his book Surviving Schizophrenia, Dr. E. Read more about Should We Expect People With Serious Mental Illness to Work?[…]
Minnesota Must Get Serious About Mental Health Courts
It’s time for state-level discussions in Minnesota about funding mental health courts. I recently attended an excellent conference about the criminalization of mental illness. Even though it was more geared to mental health practitioners, I went as a parent because Ramsey County recently denied participation in their excellent mental health court to my son who Read more about Minnesota Must Get Serious About Mental Health Courts[…]