Pete Earley

No, my pleasure. I'm like you. I mean, I want to spread the word.

No, my pleasure. I'm like you. I mean, I want to spread the word.

No, my pleasure. I'm like you. I mean, I want to spread the word.

Well, you know, as a reporter, I had covered mental health. I'd covered the great deinstitutionalization process. But I really didn't get it until it happened to my own son. What happened is my son, Kevin, I call him Michael in the book because he was going through all this while I was writing the book.

Well, you know, as a reporter, I had covered mental health. I'd covered the great deinstitutionalization process. But I really didn't get it until it happened to my own son. What happened is my son, Kevin, I call him Michael in the book because he was going through all this while I was writing the book.

Well, you know, as a reporter, I had covered mental health. I'd covered the great deinstitutionalization process. But I really didn't get it until it happened to my own son. What happened is my son, Kevin, I call him Michael in the book because he was going through all this while I was writing the book.

And even six years later, after the book was published, we were going through trying to get him stable, trying to help him move forward. He was in college. We know that most serious mental illnesses emerge in young men and young women from 17 up to 25. That's the prime period. He called me up one day and he said, dad, food doesn't taste good. And he just hung up. Then he called back.

And even six years later, after the book was published, we were going through trying to get him stable, trying to help him move forward. He was in college. We know that most serious mental illnesses emerge in young men and young women from 17 up to 25. That's the prime period. He called me up one day and he said, dad, food doesn't taste good. And he just hung up. Then he called back.

And even six years later, after the book was published, we were going through trying to get him stable, trying to help him move forward. He was in college. We know that most serious mental illnesses emerge in young men and young women from 17 up to 25. That's the prime period. He called me up one day and he said, dad, food doesn't taste good. And he just hung up. Then he called back.

He said, dad, I don't know if I'm dreaming or awake. I think I took five homeless people to breakfast. And then he hung up. I called him back. And this time he said, dad, I don't know if I'm dreaming or awake. So I managed to get him in to see a psychiatrist. And I'll never forget what that psychiatrist said. He said to me, after talking to him, he says, if you're lucky, he has a drug problem.

He said, dad, I don't know if I'm dreaming or awake. I think I took five homeless people to breakfast. And then he hung up. I called him back. And this time he said, dad, I don't know if I'm dreaming or awake. So I managed to get him in to see a psychiatrist. And I'll never forget what that psychiatrist said. He said to me, after talking to him, he says, if you're lucky, he has a drug problem.

He said, dad, I don't know if I'm dreaming or awake. I think I took five homeless people to breakfast. And then he hung up. I called him back. And this time he said, dad, I don't know if I'm dreaming or awake. So I managed to get him in to see a psychiatrist. And I'll never forget what that psychiatrist said. He said to me, after talking to him, he says, if you're lucky, he has a drug problem.

If you're not lucky, he has a mental illness. And I thought, I'm lucky if I have a kid with a drug problem? Come on, really? Well, a blood test showed that he didn't have a drug problem. Instead, he was showing signs of bipolar. The doctor really... kind of scared us because he said, I'm not going to sugarcoat this. You have an incurable disease. You will take medications the rest of your life.

If you're not lucky, he has a mental illness. And I thought, I'm lucky if I have a kid with a drug problem? Come on, really? Well, a blood test showed that he didn't have a drug problem. Instead, he was showing signs of bipolar. The doctor really... kind of scared us because he said, I'm not going to sugarcoat this. You have an incurable disease. You will take medications the rest of your life.

If you're not lucky, he has a mental illness. And I thought, I'm lucky if I have a kid with a drug problem? Come on, really? Well, a blood test showed that he didn't have a drug problem. Instead, he was showing signs of bipolar. The doctor really... kind of scared us because he said, I'm not going to sugarcoat this. You have an incurable disease. You will take medications the rest of your life.

Those medications will cause you to gain weight. You probably can't hold a job. Getting married is probably not a good idea. Oh yeah, people with mental illness die 15 to 20 years earlier before the rest of us. When I was diagnosed with lung cancer, the first thing I did was I read everything I could. And I said, well, I'm going to beat the odds. Well, Kevin was the same way.

Those medications will cause you to gain weight. You probably can't hold a job. Getting married is probably not a good idea. Oh yeah, people with mental illness die 15 to 20 years earlier before the rest of us. When I was diagnosed with lung cancer, the first thing I did was I read everything I could. And I said, well, I'm going to beat the odds. Well, Kevin was the same way.

Those medications will cause you to gain weight. You probably can't hold a job. Getting married is probably not a good idea. Oh yeah, people with mental illness die 15 to 20 years earlier before the rest of us. When I was diagnosed with lung cancer, the first thing I did was I read everything I could. And I said, well, I'm going to beat the odds. Well, Kevin was the same way.

He wasn't going to be one of those crazy people out there. So he took meds for two or three weeks, which is the therapeutic length. They quit taking them. And I thought, of course, if you have a headache, you take aspirin and it goes away, right? Well, a year later, I got a panic call from my older son in New York. And he said, come quick. Kevin is crazy.

He wasn't going to be one of those crazy people out there. So he took meds for two or three weeks, which is the therapeutic length. They quit taking them. And I thought, of course, if you have a headache, you take aspirin and it goes away, right? Well, a year later, I got a panic call from my older son in New York. And he said, come quick. Kevin is crazy.