Make Them Hear You

Episode 8: I Shot The Sheriff

We’re going to be talking about the medical and treatment systems’ neglect of BIPOC communities, and how this neglect drives criminalization of mental illness in black and brown people – especially young black and brown men. Did your mother play Saturday morning clean up music? My mother had a heavy rotation of James Brown, Gil Scott and Bob Marley. When it came to Bob Marley, Get up Stand up and I shot the Sheriff, were her favorites. Years later, in a lesson about messenger credibility, I was introduced to the Eric Clapton version of I shot the Sheriff by a college professor. For obvious reasons, Bob Marely is a credible messenger for a song about racial persecution by law enforcement and the desire for true justice. This made the song dangerous and controversial. Eric Clapton, on the other hand, isn’t a credible messenger for the same message even singing the same lyrics. It took the controversy out of the song, and became just a catchy hit, an introduction to laid back rock. My takeaway from reflecting on this is that the message we take away from something is shaped a lot by whether the messenger is creditable or not. This comes up a lot in the SMI world, which is where the phrase “lived experience” comes from. Does the messenger know what they’re talking about? Police engagement with people who have severe mental illness is constantly under scrutiny. Severe mental illness advocates generally acknowledge that in some cases, police might need to be involved if there’s a risk of violence. Advocates focused on justice reform often call to defund the police entirely. Sometimes the argument is divided along racial lines. Sometimes it’s Safety. But I have a hunch that the biggest division, and the reason that the different perspectives can’t come together, comes from distrust of the messenger. Neither side of this debate believes the other knows what they’re talking about. "Make Them Hear You" is an original podcast from Treatment Advocacy Center - the oldest national non-profit dedicated to eliminating the barriers to treatment for severe mental illness. In this podcast series, Treatment Advocacy Center's Senior Legislative and Policy Counsel, Sabah Muhammad [https://twitter.com/SabahMuhammad1], is the host and leads listeners through courageous conversations which uplift the voices of some of our most vulnerable members of society: individuals of color with a diagnosis of severe mental illness. Visit Treatment Advocacy Center's website to learn more: treatmentadvocacycenter.org [https://treatmentadvocacycenter.org/] Direct media inquiries to press@treatmentadvocacycenter.org "Make Them Hear You" is hosted by Sabah Muhammad [https://twitter.com/SabahMuhammad1]. Produced by Bill Retherford, Sabah Muhammad, and Shannon Zogran [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonzogran]. Written and edited by Sabah Muhammad, Shannon Zogran, Lisa Dailey [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daileylisa/], and Michael Gray [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gray-jd-mup-1077a231/].

Episode 7: The Two Olmsteads

Today we are talking about the Two Olmstead's - a conversation about community. What is it? Some communities are easy to pinpoint, like a business community defined by trade. Others, a little less so, like church community defined by denomination. Even less than that, online communities defined by activity or even something less tangible, communities like Black twitter or SMI twitter. Others communities have a multi-layered understanding, that intersects with home and politics, like urban, rural and suburban communities. Growing up in suburban Georgia, I didn’t know urban meant Black people until I became politically involved. Before then I thought it meant New Yorkers. For a better example of what I mean, politically, Georgia was able to move mental illness legislation by focusing on the disconnection of rural communities, not suburban or urban. That carries quite a political weight. Much like the word community in the world of mental illness. For most Americans community means home. A place where your needs are met. Where your family goes to school and work, engages with friends and neighbors – a place to thrive. For the mental illness community, community carries that political duality. Community means Olmstead. Today well take a look at the legacy of Olmstead. And what it means to access community treatment. "Make Them Hear You" is an original podcast from Treatment Advocacy Center - the oldest national non-profit dedicated to eliminating the barriers to treatment for severe mental illness. In this podcast series, Treatment Advocacy Center's Senior Legislative and Policy Counsel, Sabah Muhammad [https://twitter.com/SabahMuhammad1], is the host and leads listeners through courageous conversations which uplift the voices of some of our most vulnerable members of society: individuals of color with a diagnosis of severe mental illness. Visit Treatment Advocacy Center's website to learn more: treatmentadvocacycenter.org [https://treatmentadvocacycenter.org/] Direct media inquiries to press@treatmentadvocacycenter.org "Make Them Hear You" is hosted by Sabah Muhammad [https://twitter.com/SabahMuhammad1]. Produced by Bill Retherford, Sabah Muhammad, and Shannon Zogran [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonzogran]. Written and edited by Sabah Muhammad, Shannon Zogran, Lisa Dailey [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daileylisa/], and Michael Gray [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gray-jd-mup-1077a231/].

Episode 6: What Gives You The Right

Today we’re going to get right to the heart of the biggest controversy in the treatment of people with severe mental illness: involuntary treatment, and what gives another person the right to intervene when their loved one is not willing to seek or accept treatment. This, more than any other issue, is the determinant for what our systems of treatment look like. It affects what our laws allow, and it also affects how people choose to interpret and implement those laws. Some individuals and groups believe that involuntary treatment should never be an option and other individuals and groups believe that at times it is both necessary and compassionate to intervene when our loved ones are not willing to seek or accept treatment due to the symptoms of their illnesses. It’s a heated debate since it involves the curtailment of individual liberties. I can say from personal experience that being willing to say that there is a place for involuntary treatment means being accused of wanting to lock everyone with mental illness up, of wanting to bring back the snake pit asylums of the 50s, and other offensive things that are enraging to a family member whose motivation is always to alleviate the suffering of my loved one and heal my family. "Make Them Hear You" is an original podcast from Treatment Advocacy Center - the oldest national non-profit dedicated to eliminating the barriers to treatment for severe mental illness. In this podcast series, Treatment Advocacy Center's Senior Legislative and Policy Counsel, Sabah Muhammad [https://twitter.com/SabahMuhammad1], is the host and leads listeners through courageous conversations which uplift the voices of some of our most vulnerable members of society: individuals of color with a diagnosis of severe mental illness. Visit Treatment Advocacy Center's website to learn more: treatmentadvocacycenter.org [https://treatmentadvocacycenter.org/] Direct media inquiries to press@treatmentadvocacycenter.org "Make Them Hear You" is hosted by Sabah Muhammad [https://twitter.com/SabahMuhammad1]. Produced by Bill Retherford, Sabah Muhammad, and Shannon Zogran [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonzogran]. Written and edited by Sabah Muhammad, Shannon Zogran, Lisa Dailey [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daileylisa/], and Michael Gray [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gray-jd-mup-1077a231/].

Episode 5: I Called On Jesus

We’re going to explore the danger that our disjointed and underfunded patchwork of services places family members and loved ones in when we put all the responsibility on them for people who won’t seek treatment on their own. In our first episode, we heard about Corey Miner Smith’s terrifying experience of violence at her mother’s hands during psychosis. Today we’re going to get into how our stubborn refusal to acknowledge the risk untreated psychosis can pose has effectively shifted what used to be a government responsibility onto the families of people with SMI – and there isn’t a back-up. Spoiler alert: it happens on the backs of desperate and unsupported loved ones left with few options and no good choices. For black and brown families, there are fewer services available and the stakes are even higher if they have to call 911. And the laws of your state might be making it even more dangerous. I’m talking today to Nieva about her experiences with her son in Georgia. We’ll also be talking again with Thurmond Gillis, a mental health counselor from New Jersey who specialized in first episode psychosis, for his clinical perspective on first episode psychosis. "Make Them Hear You" is an original podcast from Treatment Advocacy Center - the oldest national non-profit dedicated to eliminating the barriers to treatment for severe mental illness. In this podcast series, Treatment Advocacy Center's Senior Legislative and Policy Counsel, Sabah Muhammad [https://twitter.com/SabahMuhammad1], is the host and leads listeners through courageous conversations which uplift the voices of some of our most vulnerable members of society: individuals of color with a diagnosis of severe mental illness. Visit Treatment Advocacy Center's website to learn more: treatmentadvocacycenter.org [https://treatmentadvocacycenter.org/] Direct media inquiries to press@treatmentadvocacycenter.org "Make Them Hear You" is hosted by Sabah Muhammad [https://twitter.com/SabahMuhammad1]. Produced by Bill Retherford, Sabah Muhammad, and Shannon Zogran [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonzogran]. Written and edited by Sabah Muhammad, Shannon Zogran, Lisa Dailey [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daileylisa/], and Michael Gray [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gray-jd-mup-1077a231/].

Minority Mental Health Month Re-release: Surviving Racism in Advocacy: Black Faces Not Black Issues

July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month! Celebrate with us by re-listening to the first four episodes of Make Them Hear You as we re-release them with additional audio discussing their importance and impact during this month. For over 20 years Margot Dashiell has served as her son’s primary caregiver. During this time she pieced together her own network of organizations, support and services to ensure her son’s survival. When she found few safe spaces to talk about race and severe mental illness, she created her own organizations. Currently she is on the board of the African American Family Outreach Project [https://mhaac.org/mental-health-services/african-american-mental-health], which helps family members of loved ones with a diagnosis of mental illness and Substance Use Disorder access resources through their “You Are Not Alone” Workshops series. [https://mhaac.org/mental-health-resources/events] Margot shares her journey of challenges and successes which all were sparked from the same aspect of her identity - advocating for a loved one with severe mental illness while black. As a family member and Senior Family Liaison, Kathy Day [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kday9/] knows about the learning curve, she knows how earth shattering it can be when severe mental illness suddenly enters the family. Caregivers of individuals with a diagnosis of severe mental illness are struck with an overwhelming learning curve and zero resources. As the guest expert of episode three, Kathy adds perspective to Margot's story and shares her expertise on today's broken system and how to best navigate it. "Make Them Hear You" is an original podcast from Treatment Advocacy Center - the oldest national non-profit dedicated to eliminating the barriers to treatment for severe mental illness. In this podcast series, Treatment Advocacy Center's Senior Legislative and Policy Counsel, Sabah Muhammad [https://twitter.com/SabahMuhammad1], is the host and leads listeners through courageous conversations which uplift the voices of some of our most vulnerable members of society: individuals of color with a diagnosis of severe mental illness. Visit Treatment Advocacy Center's website to learn more: treatmentadvocacycenter.org [https://treatmentadvocacycenter.org/]. Direct media inquiries to press@treatmentadvocacycenter.org. "Make Them Hear You" is hosted by Sabah Muhammad [https://twitter.com/SabahMuhammad1]. Produced by Bill Retherford, Sabah Muhammad, and Shannon Zogran [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonzogran]. Written and edited by Sabah Muhammad, Shannon Zogran, Lisa Dailey [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daileylisa/], and Michael Gray [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gray-jd-mup-1077a231/]. Music "Let The Rain Fall Down" by Kirk Osamayo [https://www.kirkosamayo.com/].