Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Sat, 24 May 2025
Send us a textEric Diaz shares his journey of living with schizoaffective disorder and becoming an advocate for those with serious mental illness. Through finding the right medication, supportive communities, and creative outlets, Eric transformed from someone who couldn't leave his house to a published author helping others navigate similar challenges.• Diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder as a teenager but initially lacked insight into his condition• Participated in a clinical trial at Emory University that was crucial for starting treatment• Struggled with significant medication side effects before finding an effective treatment in 2011• Went from making fries at Wendy's to getting his GED and attending college• Became a Certified Peer Specialist to help others with mental health conditions• Recently published his novel "I Got Sober For This" exploring themes of mental illness• Now works as an employment specialist helping others with brain disorders find work• Credits stable housing, family support, and faith community as vital to his recovery• Emphasizes the importance of both medical treatment and social support systems• Currently focusing on writing and will be taking a screenwriting workshopKeep hope, keep going, and don't give up. Reach out to Eric at [email protected] if you'd like to learn more about his book or experiences.https://tonymantor.comhttps://Facebook.com/tonymantorhttps://instagram.com/tonymantorhttps://twitter.com/tonymantorhttps://youtube.com/tonymantormusicintro/outro music bed written by T. WildWhy Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)
Chapter 1: What is the story behind Eric Diaz's journey with schizoaffective disorder?
Welcome to Why Not Me? The World Podcast, hosted by Tony Mantor. Broadcasting from Music City, USA. Nashville, Tennessee. Join us as our guests tell us their stories. Some will make you laugh. Some will make you cry. Real life people. who will inspire and show that you are not alone in this world.
Hopefully, you gain more awareness, acceptance, and a better understanding for autism around the world. Hi, I'm Tony Mantor. Welcome to Why Not Me? The World, Humanity Over Handcuffs, The Silent Crisis special event. Joining us today is Eric Diaz.
He's a writer, YouTuber, comedian, and dedicated mental health professional who recently celebrated the release of his debut novel, I Got Sober For This. Eric's life has been deeply shaped by his personal experiences, making him intimately familiar with the profound struggles of addiction and severe mental health challenges.
Chapter 2: How did Eric's writing help him cope with his challenges?
Diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder as a teenager, he has navigated his complexities firsthand, emerging as a relentless and inspiring advocate for individuals with serious mental illness and their families that support them. With his wealth of knowledge, unique perspective, and unwavering commitment to raising awareness, he's a true asset to any conversation on these topics.
We're genuinely honored to have him join us today. Thanks for coming on.
Well, thank you for having me. I love doing advocacy, and I love talking about my book, so it's a win-win.
Yes, I love a win-win. Well, let's start with what led you to where you are now. How did your journey begin? What path did you take? And where did that path bring you to where you are today?
Well, as a child, I enjoyed writing and I kind of somewhere along the way lost. I stopped doing it for some reason. And then after I quit drinking, I didn't know what to do with myself. I felt powerless. I have a brother who was refusing medication for schizophrenia at the time. And I felt so powerless to help him. And I was talking to all these families in that situation.
And I was just writing was just it was just therapeutic. It was I enjoyed doing it. And I felt so powerless at writing. I controlled the page completely as mine. So it was empowering to write and tell stories. And part of the idea for the book was in 2018. There were two inmates at the ICE Detention Center in Stewart County, Georgia, at the Stewart Detention Center.
There were two inmates with schizophrenia that completed suicide. And I was kind of like, hurt my interest, like, that's out in the middle of nowhere. That's nowhere near where I live. It's nowhere near Atlanta. It's nowhere near Macon. And then I started doing research, and I was like, you know, a lot of families have loved ones with untreated schizophrenia, largely due to lack of insight.
But I was kind of like, what's their story? Maybe, like, how did they wind up down there from other states? They weren't residing in Georgia when they were detained by ICE. And just telling the story of Carl Betancourt, the protagonist, his life intersects with a lot of different people. They have a common connection. But it's people that wouldn't otherwise know each other.
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Chapter 3: What inspired Eric to write his novel 'I Got Sober For This'?
So in your book, what do you delve into? Do you touch on your brother or do you talk about many different people? What's the scope of what you're doing?
Well, my book is, of course, it's a book, work of fiction, and it's a novel, but it's mainly about the main protagonist and just him. He doesn't want his children, he's afraid his children might wind up developing schizophrenia and being like some of the clients he takes. He's a recovered alcoholic lawyer. And my brother was a big inspiration for a lot of the chapters in the book.
And just stories of people I know and stories that I've read about, just people that are powerless. Like you have people that are marginalized, that don't have a lot, and you have people that are wealthy, and they're still powerless to help their loved ones. We kind of all were in this together. And also, writing the book was also just, I like storytelling.
I used to do stand-up comedy, and I would tell stories about being a movie extra. which is very common in the Atlanta area. I was on disability for most of my adult life for schizoaffective disorder. Being a movie extra is a common type of employment for people on psychiatric disability around here. So it's very common. You work a couple of days a week and it doesn't affect your disability check.
And because it's under the amount, something we're lucky because not everyone has that as temp work, but in Georgia, we're lucky to have that.
So both you and your brother have this diagnosis then? Is that correct?
Yes. And I'm not sure. I know I am schizo. I have schizoaffective disorder. And I believe, I say schizophrenia, but I'm not sure his exact diagnosis. I know early intervention was key to my recovery. It was absolutely key. And being paid to participate in a clinical trial study at Emory University was vital because I did not believe I was sick. No, I did not believe I was sick.
I knew with absolute certainty that there was nothing wrong with me. I knew with absolute certainty that everything I was saying was true. There was no... There was no if or maybe. I knew. But I also had the reality slapping me in the face and being paid to participate in this study. And they were very nice to me when I went down there. Got me on my medication.
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Chapter 4: What role did medication play in Eric's recovery?
Even though I was still in psychosis... Psychosis, in my view, is always toxic. I don't view it as ever being good. It's a disease to be treated, not a right to be protected, but it was manageable. Like I could kind of, I could go out a little bit. I wasn't always saying things that would get me in trouble because I wouldn't even know why people were mad.
Okay. So how long do you think you had it before you actually got treated?
I was under the care of a psychiatrist that we knew because my brother is older. I was under the care of a psychiatrist and seeing a social worker regularly. And I believe, I don't know, because I was very much out of it. I guess the best way to describe it.
I began taking medications my senior year in high school that are for schizophrenia, but I originally started seeing the psychiatrist and social worker for depression.
Okay.
I was having symptoms, but I was only forthcoming. I still had a filter. I think it's called double booking. I knew how bad, how bizarre the things I was thinking sounded. So I was able to keep it to myself, but it was still making me very depressed. I was able to, once for a short, I took the medication right off the bat. I just took it.
I was raised that when you're prescribed something, you take it. But the side effects were so bad, I discontinued it. And then for about, I would say if I guess, I don't remember everything exactly. It's hazy. But I would say about close to a year, I was just no medication, period. Just not taking my medication. And
What was so great about Emory University and the clinical trial study was that they never tried to make me admit I had schizoaffective disorder. It was just, come in, tell us how you're doing. And like, here's your prescription. And it was very funny because I still very much believe things happened in the past. But they weren't ongoing now in a way that was threatening to me.
It was just things that had happened. And I still had a lot of symptoms, but I wasn't employable at that time in my view. But I was able to kind of go out to a restaurant because there was a time when I couldn't even leave my house. I was so paranoid.
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Chapter 5: How did Eric's family and community support his mental health journey?
I was in a program for the cognitive symptoms of like this memory impairment and just not being able to, I was in a program for special needs adults at Goodwill. And I was placed in a job at Wendy's where all I could do was make fries and clean the lobby because my short-term memory was so bad and I was so dense that I couldn't really do anything, do a whole lot.
And it was very lonely and isolating. And then when I responded to medication... I was very happy that I was able to get my GED and go back to college. I went to a junior college. My church was vital in me being able to go back to college because a man at my church who was retired helped me get caught up. So I could, at the junior college, I needed a lot of one-on-one tutoring.
But it would have been different if I had been diagnosed. I then, as a teenager, I then, when I was 20, gone straight on the medication I'm on now.
Do you think that because you did not get diagnosed earlier that it affected your quality of life at all? How do you feel about that overall?
I don't believe it did because I believe maybe so. I mean, it would have been better to have been diagnosed sooner. But I believe that the medication I'm on now wasn't on the market. If I had had that medication I'd started taking in 2011, say in 2001, it would have been a lot different. But the whole gaining 100 pounds on the medication thing,
having the cognitive problems, being emotionally flat. It was pretty much, it was keeping me out of the hospital, but I could survive and not thrive. So I'm very grateful that there's newer medication out so that if you don't respond, I don't like to say the names of medication because I don't want to promote.
Yeah, that's fine. I get it.
But even if you don't respond to the medication I'm on, there's a lot of newer medications out there. And the reason I don't say what medication I'm on is I've had friends see how well I'm doing. And the majority of doctors want their patients to participate in their treatment. But when people come in there and say, Eric is my friend, Eric's doing really well on this medication.
I want to be on it.
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Chapter 6: What lessons can we learn from Eric's experiences?
And he is not, he's like the person you were talking about. He missed out on a lot of stuff. I'm currently employed and like, he's, he's trying to go back to work, but like I said, I'm reluctant to talk too much about him.
I totally understand that. And that's not a problem.
But yeah, as of right now, I'm able to do a lot of things that he is currently not able to do.
I host a lot of autism podcasts. One guest shared a story about his son. His son was walking down the highway, and because he always seemed just like a happy kid, the police assumed he was high on drugs. They took him into custody, but after contacting the father, he explained the situation. They let him go, and everything turned out fine.
Have you ever had any experiences where, due to medications or other factors, you've had interactions with a legal system where they just didn't understand what you were going through?
I have not. My brother has had a couple. But me, I honestly, I've had my experience with the police has, for me personally, has been mostly positive. Oh, that's great. In that I was afraid to leave my house. So, like, I would venture out at, like, 2 a.m. And I'd go to, like, IHOP and Steak and Shake, Waffle House.
And I'd just kind of hang out at night because there was less people and I felt safe. And of course, like whenever the cops would come in, they were always friendly. And yeah, and I would say my personal experience has been overwhelmingly positive.
That's great to hear, especially since it's a common concern for many people. Misunderstandings can escalate quickly when officers don't fully grasp what someone might be going through. It's tricky because law enforcement often has just seconds to assess a situation and make a decision. So it's really reassuring and awesome to know you've had no issues with that.
Well, let me tell you a story. I had an emergency with my brother at my house. I was very afraid to call law enforcement. And when the deputy came, I was basically telling the 911 operator, there's no guns in the house. I'm only concerned for my brother's safety. And they're like, okay. And she's like, I told the police.
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Chapter 7: How does Eric view the future of mental health treatment?
But the first week was extremely helpful just teaching me because I didn't realize how it was coming across. And that really helped me. And also, it helps my self-worth because I had to study for the test and pass the test. I'm currently working as an employment specialist. I just started a new job.
I'm going to be helping people with brain disorders like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder find work. And that's something that's very important because there's a risk of me going back to the hospital if I get really stressed out. But feeling worthless and not being able to participate and be a part of society is also stressful and can also lead to me going back to the hospital.
So it's one of those things.
Wow. You just brought up a great point. How do you find the balance between too much stress and too little activity? Where anxiety from being overwhelmed doesn't cause health issues like ending up in the hospital, but depression from nothing happening doesn't take over either. How do you figure out that line so you're not tipping too far in one direction or the other?
A lot of it was just trial and error. Okay. A lot of it was trial and error. And one thing that I was very blessed with is I've always had stable housing. I've always, my home, the home I grew up in has always been there.
So even if I move out, I remember I called my mother when I was working another job and I was like, I also go to a 12-step program for drinking and I called my mother and I was like, I gotta move back home. I'm gonna relapse if I keep doing this job. I gotta just go home and take a break. And she was happy to have me. So I think I've always had where if I don't succeed, I will be on the street.
That was my next question was about your parents. Initially, they had to navigate your brother's difficulties with his issues. Then sometimes you might have a few issues you have to deal with. How did they handle that?
My father passed away in 2003. And we were very lucky in that he had a very good job at Lockheed Martin. We were basically my mother. And even though she has two children that were disabled, we're still able to keep our house. And my mother has always been supportive. She's always been encouraging me to do stuff. In fact, let me see if I could find it here.
The first part of my book is actually a picture of me and my mother at my graduation.
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