Welcome to Litsy!

I ❤️ 😍 seeing books by young authors. I especially ❤️ books that destigmatize childhood and human conditions. Imagine accepting people with mental illness and listening to their perspective instead of forcing our own. #endthestigma

Found this book during the #NAMI Basics class yesterday in a footnote and quickly downloaded it to my Kindle. I thought I knew a lot about schizophrenia, but here I am 22 pages in and whoa! The most frightening thing about this disease is actually what people think it is, not what it is. #endthestigma

Tonight is my second NAMI basics class. It's a 6 week program for caregivers. If you are struggling with mental illness or dealing with a loved one who suffers, I cannot express how helpful this is. Lots of reading. #endthestigma

This book was fascinating. Lots of stories about defectology - I'm glad we call it neurodiversity today. This paragraph really hits home. I wish my son had autism instead of schizophrenia. You can talk about autism. Schizophrenia is unspeakable. There's so much to learn about the brain and its not the end of the world. #endthestigma

This is what I did today. I couldn't put it down. Five stars. It was so snowing good. And powerful. #tomorrowismybestday #ampersand #endthestigma

I am usually not a soapbox kind of person. But everyone should read this book. Whether you have a child with special needs or not, you will laugh and cry, and hopefully understand. Sometimes having a child with a hidden disability makes me feel so alone... and judged... and crazy. But this book actually makes me feel normal for once. If I could buy a million copies and hand them out on the street, I would.

Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid!

This haunting memoir of mental illness and time spent in a psychiatric hospital kept me riveted and horrified. It hits a bit close to home, as I have a teenage niece struggling with mental illness and suicidal thoughts and actions. My heart just breaks for these young girls caught in the grip of their mental prisons. My only hope is that my niece's treatment is kinder than those of the late 60s shown in this book. #mentalillness #endthestigma 💔

Not sure how I‘m feeling about this book yet, but this stuck out to me. Sometimes I try to hide it from my family because they don‘t understand, my husband is the only one who understands when I‘m tired and can‘t get off the couch in the afternoons, he steps up and helps with the house and kids. I‘m so lucky to have him. #endthestigma

There have been many inspiring and educational passages in this book, but this one truly is important. I am of the opinion that if this message is taken to heart, a lot would change both in the broken war on drugs, and the (far from perfect) treatment system that is now in place. What is even more important is that this is supported by research and literature. #currentlyreading #nonfiction #endthestigma #harmreduction

May is BPD Awareness Month. Please educate yourself and other before being quick to judge. We need to #endthestigma facing Mental Illnesses.