‘Raised by Mental Illness’

SPECIAL FRIDAY EPISODE!! What happens when the person who’s supposed to protect you becomes the one you have to protect? In this episode, I open up about what it was like growing up with a mother who had schizophrenia — the fear, the confusion, and the strange kind of love that lives inside that chaos. This one’s personal. It’s the story behind my upcoming book, M.O.M — My Other Mother: A Daughter’s Story of Being Raised by Schizophrenia. I talk about the moment I realized something was wrong, the haunting parallels I saw while watching Netflix’s Ed Gein documentary, and the misunderstood reality of what schizophrenia actually is — beyond the headlines and horror movies. We’ll break down the myths, the stigma, and the emotional toll it takes on families who live in the shadows of mental illness. Because behind every “crazy” story is usually a broken one — and behind every broken one is a person who still wants to be seen. Call to Action: Learn the facts. Speak the truth. Check on the ones who seem lost in their own world. Compassion won’t cure schizophrenia — but it can save lives. — abstract. podcast — real people, raw truths, no filters. If you’ve got someone in your life with schizophrenia, or any severe mental illness, here’s what you can do: 1. Learn the signs. Hallucinations, paranoia, disorganized speech, withdrawing — they’re not “weird behavior.” They’re symptoms. 2. Don’t argue with delusions. Validation doesn’t mean agreeing — it means saying, “I know that feels real for you, and I’m here.” 3. Find support. There are NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) groups in almost every city that help families understand what’s happening. 4. Speak up. Share your story. Normalize the conversation. 5. Advocate. Push for better mental health access and trauma-informed police training. People’s lives depend on it. Follow us! INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/the_abstract_pod?igsh=MTJ2ZG8yNGR4enBhZg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/abstract.podcast?mibextid=wwXIfr X: https://x.com/ninaonx?s=21 YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@abstract_nina?si=4-YEV_sZ-CFz46kz Wanna be a guest? Ask questions or just join the conversation email at [email protected]