He Came in with It: A Portrait of Motherhood and Madness. A conversation with the author -- and my former neighbor -- Miriam Feldman

Miriam Feldman – one of the strongest women I know -- recounts her journey as the mother of a son struggling with schizophrenia.  She points out that as a mother, you tend to worry about child abduction or car accidents.  Nothing prepares you for serious mental illness.  From her book:   “This is the story of how mental illness unspools an entire family…it exposes the shortfalls of our mental health system, the destructive impact of stigma, shame and isolation, and, finally, the falsity of the notion of a perfect family.”  Mimi lived across the street from me, and her son is the same age as mine.  I did not know about this story until I read her book!Why does this have to be such a secret?  And why does it have to be so hard?  In this interview, you’ll hear about the things that must change if we are going to interrupt this tragic cycle of illness, despair, hospitalization and derailed dreams.    Fortunately, Nick did not end up homeless or incarcerated, but this is too often the circle of life for people with mental illness in our country.  Nick’s story adds to the growing chorus that this must change in America.Mimi’s 2020  book is called  He Came in With It: A Portrait of Motherhood and Madness.  Her website is a treasure trove of her art, her blogs, information about her book and resource information for families and friends trying to understand mental illness and how to navigate this space.Here is a “TED-type” talk she recently gave as part of a NAMI Washington State “The Brainpower Chronicles” event in November, 2020.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4Jc8k8NKHM&t=127sLink Article in LA Yoga October 2020Instagram handle:  @mimitheriveterLinks to other topics referenced during this interview.About NAMI | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental IllnessSchizophrenia and Related Disorders AllianceBring Change to Mind HIPAA – the Health Insurance Portability and  Accountability ActGould’s Farm