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Guests:  Robert C. Smith, MD and  Vinod Srihari, MD, 

Every day, millions of Americans face untreated mental health challenges—and too often, their first point of contact is a medical doctor unequipped to help. Most physicians - and many others who teach and advise youth - aren’t trained to recognize or treat mental health conditions, yet they’re the ones patients turn to first. This gap in training has devastating consequences, contributing to the mental health crisis we see today.

Dr. Robert Smith, a seasoned physician and thought leader, is sounding the alarm: medical doctors need fundamental training in mental health care. His new book, Has Medicine Lost Its Mind? Why Our Mental Health System is Failing Us and What Should Be Done to Cure (Prometheus Books, March 4, 2025) addresses the poor state of mental health care in the US, why it occurred, what needs to be done, and how to accomplish this politically.

Our Second Guest, Vinod Srihari, MD, spearheads a new program in CT which has just been expanded to reach the whole state after a trial run in 10 towns around New Haven. STEP is a clinic staffed by mental health providers in different fields – psychology, psychiatry, nursing, and social work. This "interdisciplinary" team seeks to provide comprehensive care for individuals who are early in the course of a psychotic illness in order to prevent symptoms from becoming disabling.

We Find Out:

• Why so many mental health issues go untreated and misdiagnosed—and what it costs us as a society.
• The value of early detection and treatment in Mental illness to help with prevention and recovery
• How medical doctors can better address mental health needs with proper training. And tips on how patients should talk to doctors about mental health.
• The hidden consequences of the mind-body split in modern medicine. The importance of integrating mindfulness and exercise into "treatment."
• Practical solutions for integrating mental health care into the broader medical system.
• 
  

LINKS:

Bob’s website:

https://www.robertcsmithmd.com/

 Bob’s Book:

https://a.co/d/2yOHhlp

Mindmap:

https://mindmapct.org/

Mindy and her book: https://mindygreiling.com/

Randye and her book: https://www.randyekaye.com/

Miriam and her book: https://www.miriam-feldman.com/

Hosts:

Who:

Randye Kaye - was a morning Radio Personality bringing humor to CT families when her own son was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Now she is still a Broadcaster, Actress, Voice Talent, Speaker, and Author (Ben Behind his Voices, Happier Made Simple)

Miriam Feldman -  is an artist, writer, and the mother of an adult son with schizophrenia. Her book, He Came in With It chronicles her family's story and was released to rave reviews on July 21st, 2020.

Mindy Greili

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Randye Kaye
Mindy Greiling
Miriam (Mimi) Feldman

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Eric J Dias is no stranger to the struggles people with addiction and severe mental illness experience. He has lived with schizoaffective disorder since he was a teenager. Eric has been a tireless advocate for people with SMI and their families. 

He writes about the many issues and emotions associated with SMI (Severe Mental Illness) in his novel, I Got Sober For This.

In the story, he weaves the stories with issues that affect us all, especially when it comes to SMI - in our homes, the courts, the streets, AA meetings,  detention centers, and the criminal justice system.

He currently hosts a show for the National Shattering Silence Coalition’s YouTube Channel interviewing people with lived experience with mental illness, care givers, advocates and clinicians.

We ask Eric about his story, his research, stigma, the need for community, and the power of hope in recovery.

Links:

I Got Sober for This book: https://a.co/d/4PV7Vh8

Mindy and her book: https://mindygreiling.com/

Randye and her books:  https://www.randyekaye.com/

Miriam and her book: https://www.miriam-feldman.com/ 

Randye’s substack: 

https://randyekaye.substack.com/

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Randye Kaye
Mindy Greiling
Miriam (Mimi) Feldman

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Returning Guest: Brian Stettin. NYC City Hall’s senior advisor on severe mental illness.

In Episode 61, we interviewed Brian Stettin, senior advisor to the Mayor Eric Adams administration on severe mental illness.

Brian drafted the legislation that became Kendra's Law when he was an assistant attorney general in 1999, after a young journalist, Kendra Webdale, was shoved into an oncoming train by a young man from Queens with a long history of mental illness.

The  Adams administration's push was to have more severely mentally ill people brought to hospitals for psychiatric evaluation as compassionate intervention, and to change the state laws about the length of hospital stays.

This law is designed to apply to those who can't recognize their mental condition or take care of themselves, not just those who present an immediate threat to themselves or others.

Lately, with so many SMI and homelessness incidents in NYC making news (a homeless woman set on fire in the subway; a symptomatic mentally ill man’s death by chokehold; NY Governor Kathy Hochul’s support of getting help for those with SMI). we revisit this important issue. 

Almost two years later:

• How is the program going? 
• What are the successes and challenges? 
• What more can be done?

Links:

Randye’s blog posts about these issues:

https://randyekaye.substack.com/p/journalists-please-stop-saying-against?r=j36ce

https://randyekaye.substack.com/p/luigi-mangione-jordan-neely-where?r=j36ce

https://www.randyekaye.com/benbehindhisvoices/journalists-stop-saying-against-their-will-its-about-care-not-force

https://www.randyekaye.com/benbehindhisvoices/my-son-will-be-homeless-this-friday-heres-why-it-didnt-need-to-happen

https://www.randyekaye.com/benbehindhisvoices/luigi-mangione-jordan-neely-mental-illness-in-the-news-one-mothers-opinion

Articles About NYC’s Compassionate Intervention:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/25/nyregion/mentally-ill-homeless-nyc.html?unlocked_article_code=1.n04.XLWi.cts0Q8s7hfkd&smid=url-share

https://gothamist.com/news/adams-launches-new-overnight-homeless-outreach-program-pairing-police-clinicians-on-nyc-subways

https://www.nydail

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Randye Kaye
Mindy Greiling
Miriam (Mimi) Feldman

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GUEST: Darrell E. Herrmann

WANT THE TRANSCRIPT? CLICK HERE

Millions of Americans are affected by psychosis, a condition that includes schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression.

One man, Darrell Herrmann, is sharing his story in an effort to help others who may be diagnosed with similar conditions.

Herrmann, who holds a degree in physical science and served as a military officer, is diagnosed with schizophrenia and has lived with it for 40 years. 

Herrmann has written a book titled Straight Talk About Living with Severe Mental Illness. He hopes readers gain a better understanding of psychosis and how to adjust their lives to manage the condition.

We Ask:

• Your Story
• Your Views on Anosognosia
• Difference Between Hallucinations and Psychosis
• Thoughts About Anti-Psychiatry
• Your document on NSSC and your book
•  greatest frustrations with the family advocacy movement with regards to serious mental illness
• Re involuntary hospitalization; “A change in the delusion or a different hallucination can totally change the person’s patterns of action in moments. Remember to the person in psychosis the hallucinations and delusions are reality, and for example if he hears a voice that convinces him that someone is out to kill him, he may act in perceived self-defense and kill or harm that person. “
• “Currently the criterion for hospitalization is danger to self or others. This should become actively psychotic instead. ”

Darrell Herrmann - CURESZ Foundation (The guide to psychosis and psychotic illnesses  for NSSC)

NSSC_Guide Psych+Illnesses 

The YouTube video of Darrell's speech for NSSC on 6 June :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpR4Jv1o2Gk&t=684s

The article I published on LinkedIn titled "The Illusion Of Recovery Oriented Hospitals": Darrell Herrmann’s Post

A link to my book on Amazon (It can also be purchased through Barnes & Nobel)

Straight Talk About Living With A Severe Mental Illness: Herrmann, Darrell Ernest: 9781707189779: Amazon.com: Books

Mindy and her book:

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Mindy Greiling
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Guests: Angela and Michael Brisbin

(plus 3 Moms updates and we read some Fan mail!)

INTO THE LIGHT Meaningful Recovery From Psychosis, a 60 minute documentary discusses how to  achieve Meaningful Recovery from Serious Mental Illness with education, medication and advocacy.  

A message of hope and real help, the film’s topics include: barriers to treatment, the underutilized medication, clozapine, and the importance of a supportive community. 

There are over 25 interviews of patients, parents, leading medical professionals, healthcare professionals, advocates – from across the USA, including:(Bolded names have been guests on this podcast too!)

 Dr Xavier Amador, LEAP; 

Dr Lisa Dixon, CUIMC; 

Dr Ken Duckworth, NAMI; 

Miriam Feldman, SCZ: Three Moms in the Trenches; 

Dr Rob & Ann Mandel Laitman, TEAM DANIEL;

 Dr Jeffrey Lieberman; 

Dr Jonathan Meyer;

 Lynn Nanos,

 Michael Orth; 

Bill Rodgers, The Marathon Runner; 

Dr Fuller Torrey; 

Elyn Saks, 

Rachel Streiff; and 

Bethany Yeiser, CURESZ. 

Narrated by Tony Shalhoub and Brooke Adams. 

Sponsored by TEAM DANIEL Running for Recovery from Mental Illness, a 501c3 charity.

Angela Brisbin 

Angela is the Lead Administrator for Team Daniel and the Clozapine Community Facebook group. She is the Associate Producer for the documentary Into the Light: Meaningful Recovery from Psychosis. She is a full time nursing student pursuing a Master’s degree as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. Her mental health advocacy includes serving as a board member for NAMI or Greater Kansas City, as well as being a NAMI-certified family support group facilitator and “Ending the Silence” presenter. Angela also serves as a mentor for the CURESZ Foundation. 

In 2016 Angela’s father Gary who had schizophrenia passed away and her son Michael was diagnosed. 

Michael Brisbin

Angela’s son Michael Brisbin has been in meaningful recovery from schizophrenia for six and a half years. He is a full time college student and works part time as a campus librarian. He’ll graduate in December with a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work and a minor in Psychology. He plans to continue his education and obtain a Master’s degree as a licensed clinical social worker and work in the mental health field.

Michael is on the Board of Directors for NAMI of Greater Kansas City, and has founded NAMI on Campus groups at his previous community colleges and his current university. He also facilitates a weekly NAMI young adult Zoom support group.

Links:

https://www.intothelightmeaningfulrecovery.com/ 

https://www.teamdanielrunningforrecovery.org/ 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/www.teamdanielrunningforrecover.org/?ref=share_group_link 

Mindy and her book:

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Randye Kaye
Mindy Greiling
Miriam (Mimi) Feldman

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Welcome to this episode, where we explore a deeply personal and often complex topic: the choice to have relatives with severe mental illness live at home with family.

Joined by listener guests, we dive into the emotional, practical, and ethical aspects of this decision.

Is home the best place for healing and connection, or do the demands overwhelm family dynamics? How do caregivers balance compassion with self-care? And what role should professional support play? 

You’ll hear heartfelt stories, honest discussions of the challenges, and perspectives on what works—or doesn’t. Tune in for an insightful conversation about navigating this delicate choice.

Insights and Learnings from the chat:

• You have a right to feel SAFE in your own home
• Be clear on your boundaries and be prepared to follow through
• Each US state has different services and laws
• The decision is heartbreaking
• Learn all you can
• Ask for help and info
• Share this podcast with people you know need it
• It is always helpful to hear other stories
• Act while the loved one is in the hospital
•  Case manager does need to do their part - let them, partner with them
• Get it in writing. Have a written contract with your loved one which includes consequences for the main what ifs and each of you—parent, loved one, case manager keep a copy.

SZ 3 Moms episodes referenced:

#6: Conservatorship

#14: NAMI Family-to-Family

#18: Rethinking Clozapine

#27: I am Not sick, I Don’t Need Help (anosognosia)

#30: Clubhouse International

#36: Difficult Mothering (Judith R Smith)

#43: Family Support Services

#50: SSI/SSDI

#99: Pooled Trusts

#105: Housing

Mindy and her book: https://mindygreiling.com/

Randye and her book: https://www.randyekaye.com/

Miriam and her book: https://www.miriam-feldman.com/

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Randye Kaye
Mindy Greiling
Miriam (Mimi) Feldman

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Guests: 

Robert S Laitman, MD,

Mimi Liu, Doro Mind

At Doro Mind. the mission is to provide compassionate, accessible, and dynamic care and support for individuals suffering from psychosis and their caregivers.

Dr. Robert Laitman is a psychiatric internist dedicated to changing the treatment paradigm for psychosis. He is the author of “Meaningful Recovery from Schizophrenia & Serious Mental Illness with Clozapine” which outlines his families personal story supporting his son through schizophrenia and pioneering a novel evidence based approach to psychosis treatment with clozapine.

Mimi Liu is the former COO & CTO of Firefly Health, where she led operations and tech for delivering integrated primary care and behavioral health services. Mimi leads Doro Mind with the personal passion that comes from supporting her brother through his journey with psychosis.

Into the Light movie episode : #94

Links:

https://www.doromind.com/

https://www.teamdanielrunningforrecovery.org/

Dr. Laitman’s book:

https://a.co/d/iLrDwvC

Daniel Laitman on Youtube:

https://youtu.be/uBdJWFvP-uc?si=8ECR7DfhDGc3gdHx

Mindy and her book: https://mindygreiling.com/

Randye and her book: https://www.randyekaye.com/

Miriam and her book: https://www.miriam-feldman.com/

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Our websites:
Randye Kaye
Mindy Greiling
Miriam (Mimi) Feldman

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Guests: Suzy DeYoung, Catherine Galda, Trauma Informed Parent 

When parents are Trauma Informed they are better equipped to help their children heal - and to take care of themselves. Trauma Informed Parent offers information, resources and perspective for parents and caregivers of children, teens and young adults who have experienced trauma or adverse childhood experiences.

We Talk About:

• How did you get into this line of work? What do you hope to achieve?
• What are behaviors/issues/symptoms in young people that could be indicative of something trauma or mental health related?
• What are the most important things to know as a parent or caregiver of a young person who has had a traumatic experience?
• What about the trauma to the whole family when mental illness strikes a loved one?
• Value of Early Intervention and Treatment, and Structure.

Links:

Trauma Informed Parent 👍

http://www.traumainformedparent.com/

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/traumainformedparent

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/traumainformedparent/

YouTube

http://UCDfje87BkDGkpxcg1fvqO_w

Mindy and her book: https://mindygreiling.com/

Randye and her book: https://www.randyekaye.com/

Miriam and her book: https://www.miriam-feldman.com/

Hosts:

Who:

Randye Kaye - was a morning Radio Personality bringing humor to CT families when her own son was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Now she is still a Broadcaster, Actress, Voice Talent, Speaker, and Author (Ben Behind his Voices, Happier Made Simple)

Miriam Feldman -  is an artist, writer, and the mother of an adult son with schizophrenia. Her book, He Came in With It chronicles her family's story and was released to rave reviews on July 21st, 2020.

Mindy Greiling - Mindy Greiling was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives for twenty years. She helped found the nation's first state mental health caucus, which successfully lobbied for a significant increase in Minnesota's mental health funding Her acclaimed memoir is Fix What You Can.

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Join our facebook page
Our websites:
Randye Kaye
Mindy Greiling
Miriam (Mimi) Feldman

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But Where Can They Live? : Housing for Those with SMI  (Ep. 105)

Guests: Lynda Kaufmann, Psynergy Programs

Ellie Skelton, Touchstone Mental Health

Housing:  Access to affordable and supportive housing remains limited.

Individuals with mental illnesses are significantly more vulnerable to housing instability and homelessness. Factors such as unmanaged mental health symptoms, job loss, inpatient treatment, or involvement with the criminal justice system often compound the challenges they face in securing and maintaining stable housing. Without stable housing, recovery from mental illness becomes unattainable.

There is an urgent need to sustain and expand permanent supportive housing. Many individuals thrive when they have access to ongoing, housing-linked services that help them maintain their homes, build positive relationships with property management and neighbors, and integrate into the community. However, these critical services are often underfunded, putting housing stability at risk for those with mental health needs.

LINKS:

https://psynergy.org/

https://touchstonemh.org/

Corporation For Supportive Housing:
https://www.csh.org/

Past Episodes Mentioned include:
Treatment Advocacy Center and AOT: Ep. 31
Homelessness: Ep. 41
Dual Diagnosis: Ep. 53
Dr. Laitman: Ep. 7
Dr. Amador: Ep. 27
Conservatorship: Ep. 6
Housing Heals: Ep. 56
SSI/SSDI: Eps. 50 and 70
Pooled Trusts: Ep. 99

•  Coro Report - "No time to waste.."  A research study of the housing crisis for Californians with SMI
•      Community Capital Expansion - creating more housing, one bed at a time   https://www.ccegrant.com/  Psynergy received $8.2 million for an older adult           assisted living program that opened 9/12/24.  The Dept. of Social Services received $4 billion in applications for the $570 million budgeted.  See Media          Release
•      Modified Therapeutic Community - Summary from NREPP and NIDA reports.  The model of care we adopted since 2008 that supports clinical and       therapeutic services adjacent to residential housing. Both licensed care and unlicensed care.  
•     San Mateo NAMI Presentation  “Doctoral Students from USF working on “The Invisible Population” Project."
      Presented by Kristin Moser, BSN, RN and Solutions for Supportive Homes.
  1. Solutions for Supportive Homes is a Bay Area group of committed parents & community professionals working to increase the supply and the quality of permanent, affordable, health-supporting homes where adults living with long term special mental health needs,  They are united by two searing questions:  Where will my adult child live?  And who will help them when I am gone?

 Recording:

• https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sh

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Randye Kaye
Mindy Greiling
Miriam (Mimi) Feldman

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The Neverending Cycle: Crisis, Coping, Advocacy (Ep. 104)

Guest: Rachel Streiff: Mental Health Advocate, Mentor to SMI Caregivers,

NAMI F2F talks about the the emotional stages for families: Crisis, Coping, Advocacy

Unfortunately, like a game of chutes and ladders, you can cycle back at any time. Only thing is - it all becomes more familiar each time. You know where you are.

Randye is in crisis, Mimi is Coping, Mindy is out there advocating - meeting with a judge and legislator who are mental health champions about civil commitment statute and how to get better services for the the ones who are so ill they slip through the cracks,

So our special mom #3 guest, Rachel Streiff, joins us again (episode 37 - Advocating for the Best Available SMI Care)  to ask for all our help in her advocacy - the Angry Moms (see episode 67) fight to remove REMs requirements for clozaril need signatures on a petition, and letters to the FDA.

And - we all always advocating. Just that the room for that shrinks when in crisis. Podcast hosts are not immune. The other shoe can fall at any time.

The Cycle Never Ends - so let’s talk about it. No one is alone - no one is immune.

Links:

http://www.change.org/EndtheclozapineREMS

https://www.theangrymoms.com/

Mindy and her book: https://mindygreiling.com/

Randye and her book: https://www.randyekaye.com/

Miriam and her book: https://www.miriam-feldman.com/

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Our websites:
Randye Kaye
Mindy Greiling
Miriam (Mimi) Feldman