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Judge Milton Mack shares his mission to reform the mental health system by moving from crisis intervention to early treatment and prevention. 

His groundbreaking work in Michigan demonstrates how changing laws and procedures can dramatically improve outcomes while reducing costs.

• Moving from an inpatient model to an outpatient world where over 90% of mental health care now occurs
• Changing intervention standards to help people before they reach crisis, not waiting for the "magic moment" of danger
• Implementing mediation for mental health cases to increase engagement and compliance
• Creating a system that reduces trauma by avoiding unnecessary hospitalization and incarceration
• Demonstrating success through Genesee County's 70% reduction in hospitalization and 90% treatment compliance
• Building coordinated stakeholder systems where law enforcement, hospitals, courts and treatment providers work together
• Focusing on upstream solutions to prevent people from entering the criminal justice system
• Recognizing that early intervention in mental health is as important as early intervention for cancer

We need to intervene early—we wouldn't wait to treat someone with cancer when they're stage four, and we do just as much damage by waiting to treat mental illness. 

Assisted outpatient treatment is the most humane option, far better than hospitalization, jail, or homelessness. This approach benefits everyone.

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Carly, a licensed clinical social worker and mother, shares her 30-year journey navigating her son's schizophrenia diagnosis and the healthcare system's failures that led to his year-long incarceration. 

• Son diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 17, now 47 years old
• Early signs included not wanting to get out of bed, not going to school, and "odd" behavior
• Initially had periods of stability while on medication but struggled with consistent treatment
• COVID isolation marked a turning point with medication non-compliance and rapid deterioration
• Multiple hospitalizations where he was repeatedly released before being stabilized
• Baker Act attempts failed, requiring court intervention for involuntary commitment
• Currently in jail after physically attacking neighbors, with limited treatment options
• Courts cannot order medication or appropriate treatment due to misdemeanor charges
• Carly's advice: "We didn't cause it, we can't cure it, we can't control it"
• Self-care is crucial for family members – "The best thing we can do for our loved ones is to take care of ourselves"

Tell everyone everywhere about Why Not Me The World, the conversations we're having and the inspiration our guests give to everyone everywhere that you are not alone in this world.

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Ashley Smith, an advocate, author, and speaker, shares her powerful journey of recovery from schizophrenia and how she transformed a legal crisis into a platform for mental health advocacy. 

Through her blog "Overcoming Schizophrenia," seven self-published books, and work with organizations like NAMI and the Curious Foundation, Ashley demonstrates that recovery is possible and helps others find their path forward.

• Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at age 20 after a legal intervention involving a police chase with a military truck
• Successfully manages schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression through medication and strong support systems
• Works as a Certified Peer Specialist helping others navigate their own mental health journeys
• Educates law enforcement through Crisis Intervention Team training on handling mental health emergencies
• Founded the "Overcoming Schizophrenia" blog in 2008, recognized among the top 20 schizophrenia blogs worldwide
• Has self-published seven books and provides coaching to aspiring authors
• Emphasizes that recovery takes many different forms and is possible with proper support

Contact Ashley through her blog Overcoming Schizophrenia, find her books at amazon.com/author/Smith.Ashley, or email her directly at [email protected].

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Katie R. Dale shares her journey from hospital patient to mental health author and advocate, offering insights into living with bipolar disorder type 1 with psychotic features and how writing became her path to healing and helping others.

• Started blogging in 2014 after hospitalization as self-therapy before expanding into professional advocacy
• Wrote memoir "But Deliver Me From Crazy" chronicling her experiences from teen years through mid-twenties
• Found writing helped process intense memories of psychosis and mania with "crystal clear" recall
• Recommends OARS approach for supporting loved ones: Open questions, Affirm feelings, Reflect understanding, Summarize conversations
• Shares practical coping strategies including 15-minute time management blocks and tactile comfort objects
• Emphasizes importance of medication (calls hers "magic pill") while noting finding the right one often requires patience
• Currently working on faith-based books exploring the distinction between psychotic voices and spiritual experiences
• Maintains hope is possible despite invisible illness through proper treatment, support systems and faith

Resources available at katierdalecom/resources including downloadable support guides and connections to organizations like National Shattering Silence Coalition, Treatment Advocacy Center, and Fresh Hope for Mental Health.

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Tim Murphy, former congressman and psychologist, shares his journey advocating for mental health reform through the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act and highlights the systemic failures in America's approach to serious mental illness.

• Serious mental illness requires different treatment approaches than general mental health concerns
• Current Medicaid restrictions only allow 15-day hospital stays with a 190-day lifetime limit
• HIPAA laws often prevent necessary communication between doctors and families of mentally ill patients
• Approximately 40% of prison inmates have serious mental illness, with jails becoming de facto psychiatric facilities
• SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) lacks accountability for billions in spending
• Schizophrenia alone costs America approximately $380 billion annually across healthcare, criminal justice, and social services
• Assisted Outpatient Treatment provides court-ordered care for those with severe mental illness who lack insight into their condition
• Mental health advocacy requires specific, actionable requests to legislators rather than general appeals
• Reform needs include lifting hospital bed restrictions, modifying HIPAA laws, and implementing stronger program accountability

Visit drtimmurphy.com to read articles with plans for advocacy and reform in mental health policy.

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Psychotherapist Haley Graham shares her journey from pharmacist to mental health advocate after her son's struggle with school led her to found the Bounce Brighter Futures Foundation. 

Her personal experience with neurodivergence drives her passion for supporting children, parents, and teachers through therapeutic storytelling and compassionate understanding.

• Founded Bounce Brighter Futures Foundation in 2019, now supporting 90 families weekly with 12 therapists
• Approximately 50% of children seeking support are neurodivergent (autistic or ADHD)
• School attendance difficulties often stem from not belonging in the system rather than just peer bullying
• Cautions against therapists inadvertently teaching autistic children to mask better
• Uses storytelling with woodland animals to help children explore mental health challenges
• Created "Shadow Monster" story as metaphor for facing anxiety and OCD
• Developing new book based on interviews with late-identified autistic adults
• Believes autism itself isn't the problem—fitting into society creates mental health challenges
• Emphasizes curiosity about children's experiences rather than trying to fix them
• Advocates for thoughtfulness and empathy when supporting neurodivergent individuals

Find Haley Graham on LinkedIn, Instagram (hayleygrahauthor), and at Bounce Brighter Futures website.

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Patrick Kennedy shares his journey from Congressman to mental health advocate, revealing how his family history and personal struggles with addiction shaped his mission to transform America's approach to mental health care.

• Passed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act by attaching it to the 2008 bank bailout bill
• Advocates for unifying mental health, addiction, and intellectual disability communities around shared needs
• Explains how our healthcare system focuses on "sick care" rather than prevention and community support
• Identifies how isolation and siloed treatment approaches fail those with co-occurring conditions
• Describes meeting colleagues in Congress who privately struggled with mental health but couldn't publicly acknowledge it
• Working with faith communities to create support networks for families affected by mental health challenges
• Emphasizes that housing stability and employment opportunities are essential components of recovery
• Founded the Kennedy Forum to build political power for mental health advocacy
• Promotes his book "Profiles in Mental Health Courage" featuring stories of individuals and families

Tell everyone everywhere about Why Not Me? The World, the conversations we're having and the inspiration our guests give to everyone everywhere that you are not alone in this world.

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Judge Steven Leifman shares his remarkable journey from witnessing horrific conditions in a state psychiatric hospital as a teenager to becoming a leading judicial advocate for mental health reform. 

His work in Miami-Dade County has transformed how the criminal justice system handles people with mental illness, saving millions of dollars while giving thousands a path to recovery.

• Began his advocacy at 17 when investigating abuse at a state psychiatric hospital where he found an autistic young man being improperly treated as psychotic
• Discovered as a judge that our system has transferred responsibility for the mentally ill from inadequate state hospitals to equally inadequate jails
• Found that just 97 people with severe mental illness were arrested 2,200 times over five years, costing Miami taxpayers tens of millions
• Created a comprehensive diversion program that reduced Miami arrests from 118,000 to 53,000 annually and closed one jail, saving $168 million
• Building a first-of-its-kind mental health facility with crisis stabilization, housing, employment support, primary healthcare, and court services
• Working with Chief Justices nationwide to replicate Miami's successful model in communities across America
• Emphasizes that people with mental illness are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of crime
• Advocates for early trauma intervention since 92% of incarcerated women and 75% of men with mental illness have histories of severe trauma

If you know anyone who would like to share their story on our show, please send them to TonyMantor.com/Contact.

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Christine Vester shares her mission with Humanity Over Handcuffs, a national advocacy movement protecting autistic individuals from being criminalized by the justice system. 

Her organization supports families, educates legal professionals, and works toward reforming a system that often treats neurological differences as criminal behavior.

• Autistic behaviors like lack of eye contact, shutdowns, and sensory overload often misinterpreted by police as aggression or defiance
• Families seeking help unexpectedly find themselves battling a legal system unprepared to understand autism
• Courts routinely fail to consider autism as a mitigating factor, treating autistic individuals like typical defendants
• Prison environments create traumatic sensory overload for autistic individuals, who may face targeting by other inmates
• Incarceration carries long-lasting consequences, creating barriers to housing, employment, and community reintegration 
• Humanity Over Handcuffs is developing resources connecting families with attorneys, mental health professionals, and support systems
• Change requires judges, attorneys, legislators, and CIT trainers working together to create more compassionate approaches

You're not alone and not powerless. 

Our children are not broken, autism is not a crime, and together we can show what justice should really look like—humanity first.

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Carol Nistakis shares her family's painful journey through the justice system after her autistic son was manipulated into illegal activity by a neighbor. 

Her decade-long fight for justice led her to cofound D3, an organization helping families navigate the unique challenges autistic individuals face in legal proceedings.

• Began advocating when son was diagnosed at age 2, ensuring proper education and support
• Son functioned at age 10 level but was active in Special Olympics and held a part-time job
• 2012 incident led to 19 felony charges that were eventually reduced to one misdemeanor
• Court showed little interest in son's diagnosis despite extensive documentation
• Plea deal resulted in 2 years probation and 10 years on registry
• Son lost access to Special Olympics, recreation activities, and eventually his job
• Family was separated as son could no longer live at home due to restrictions
• Financial burden depleted savings meant for son's long-term care
• After 10 years, Carol secured a pardon and expungement without legal help
• Advocates for special courts with judges trained to understand autism
• Stresses that behaviors are manifestations of disability, not criminal intent
• Current autism rate is 1 in 31 children, making justice system reform urgent

Tell everyone everywhere about Why Not Me, the world, the conversations we're having and the inspiration our guests give to everyone everywhere that you are not alone in this world.

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