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A Parent’s Perspective – Elizabeth Loan
Years ago I worked for a school who only served kids with moderate to severe disabilities, primarily Autism. Part of our training was a series of lectures from other health professionals, support service agencies and other assorted individuals who worked in the field. One of the trainings was titled, “A Parent’s Perspective.” It consisted of…
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Advocacy One Day, But Not The Next
On his blog today, Pete Earley posted a recap of a speech DJ Jaffe gave at the New York State NAMI conference earlier this year. DJ Jaffe and his mentor, Dr. Fuller Torrey, are two of the most outspoken advocates for AOT legislation in the country. I have blogged before about my feelings on what…
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Gus Deeds, 60 Minutes, and the Why of It All
Did you see Senator Creigh Deeds on 60 Minutes last night? If you didn’t, stop reading and watch it, below, before you read on. Such a tragic story, and such a damning and pointed message at society: Gus was a great kid. He was a perfect son. It’s clear the system failed. It’s clear that…
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Congressional Hearing on Violence & Mental Illness – My Open Letter to Congressman Murphy
March 6, 2013Representative Tim MurphyFax: (202) 225-1844 Dear Congressman Murphy: My name is Chrisa Hickey and I am a parent of four young adults, two of which are diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder. I write a blog about Childhood Onset Mental Illness and moderate a support group of over 600 parents of children diagnosed with all…
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Why?
I’ve been watching the news, joining in on discussions on social media, and reading the editorials and blog posts about the horrific events that transpired on Friday in Newtown, Connecticut. I’ve spent three days in many different states of mind – disbelief, horror, grief, anger. I’ve wept tears for the children and their teachers that…
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We’ve Lost Hope: Guest Post
I was honored to be asked by Pete Earley, best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist, to write a response on his blog to a letter he received from a concerned parent about their son, who struggles with both mental illness and addiction. Here is their letter: Dear Pete, We have tried to get our son professional…
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Until There Is No More
Raising a child with mental illness is kind of like navigating your way through Times Square, blindfolded. In some ways you don’t know where you’re going or where you’ve been. Or what obstacles lie ahead.I have been feeling my way around this for the better part of four years. And still, I can find no way…
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What I Know (The Gertz Family)
I don’t know the Gertz’s. We live maybe 12 miles apart in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, but we have never met. Never at a doctor’s office. Never at a psychiatric hospital on a visiting day. Never at an in person or online support group meeting. I have no idea if the Gertz’s ever joined…
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Write It Down
When we were working on getting Tim admitted to his RTC (residential treatment center), part of the paperwork requested was a chronology of development, treatments, diagnoses, and medications that had already been tried. I presented them with nearly 30 pages of information that detailed his history, from first diagnosis at age four to the weeks…
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Adopt and Abandon – the Parents
As I write this, the news is on fire with the story of Torry Hansen “returning” her seven-year-old adopted son to his birth country of Russia via one-way airline ticket. As the adoptive mom of a mentally ill child (albeit domestically), I’m interested in the story. But I’d rather blog today about the Westcotts. The…