Living in a gang neighborhood, concealing his sexual orientation, Adrian already had a full plate when he learned that schizophrenia was hereditary.  His dad had it.  And at 13, he was sure he was going to develop it too.  It was only a question of when. It took him two decades to learn what you truly inherit when your parent lives with a serious mental illness.

Adrian first learned about mental illness at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website -  nami.org. You can also find their resources and materials in Spanish. If you want to know more, it's an excellent place to learn about mental illness.  

They also offer Family-to-Family classes for just about anyone, and peer support those who live with a mental illness.    There are hundreds of chapters in the US.   In certain states they’re also available in Spanish. 

Let us hear from you! We want to know how this story affected you, or any questions or stories you'd like to share. Call and leave us a message at (424) 240-9302.  If you have a detailed story, it's even better to email us an audio message to [email protected].

Find out more about this episode and the Brain Stories documentary series at www.BrainStoriesProductions.com

    The books and research cited in the episode can be found below:

• Antonia Hylton’s, Madness
• Jonathan Metzl’s, The Protest Psychosis
• Deidre Anglin is the lead author of this research finding that Black people experienced schizophrenia spectrum disorders at nearly 4 times the rate of White people.  More about her work and research is on her faculty page.

Find out more about this episode and the Brain Stories documentary series at www.BrainStoriesProductions.com

Xavier was a senior in college when he got a panicked call from his brother.  This was his closest brother, his older brother whom he deeply admired, and he was telling Xavier that he had killed their dad.  It would take Xavier nearly a decade to truly repair his relationship with his brother, though not for the reasons you would expect.   But in the process, what he discovered would change the entire approach to schizophrenia for him, and then millions of others. 

Welcome to stigma-free storytelling!

We'd like to know how this story affected you, or any questions or stories you'd like to share.  Call and leave us a message at (424) 240-9302.   If you have a detailed story, it's even better to email us an audio message to [email protected]

Learn more about Dr. Amador and the LEAP approach at www.LeapInstitute.org

Find out more about this episode and the Brain Stories documentary series at www.BrainStoriesProductions.com

This is the trailer for Brain Stories, a ground breaking documentary series profiling those who live with a mental illness and the people who support them.  

There are 13 episodes of true-life stories, surprising, moving and unflinching.  

Welcome to stigma-free story telling.  

Check out the episodes and go to our website for more information and links at   www.BrainStoriesProductions.com

Find out more about this episode and the Brain Stories documentary series at www.BrainStoriesProductions.com