WDSU NEWS HOT SEAT. I’M TRAVERS MACKEL. TONIGHT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A TOPIC THAT IS SO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT, REALLY FOR THE COUNTRY AND ESPECIALLY HERE IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA. MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS AND THE STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH IDENTIFYING MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS. WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE HERE THAT ARE CRITICAL TO THIS ISSUE, AND THEY HAVE AN INTERESTING STORY THEY’RE GOING TO TELL. TRIP FRIEDLER, WHO ALSO WROTE A BOOK ON THIS TOPIC, AND DOCTOR SERENA CHAUDHRY, THANK YOU FOR BOTH BEING HERE. FIRST OFF, THE REASON WE HAVE YOU ON TULANE BOOK FEST OR NEW ORLEANS BOOK FEST AT TULANE IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. YOU ALL GAVE A PRESENTATION. WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT, BUT WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE BIGGER PICTURE AS WELL WITH THIS. LET’S START OFF WITH YOU. IF WE CAN TRIP. YOU GAVE A PRESENTATION AT BOOK FEST. YOU WROTE A BOOK, A MEMOIR, IF YOU WILL, ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND THE STIGMA WITH MENTAL HEALTH AND IDENTIFYING IT, IF YOU COULD JUST TELL US ABOUT THAT. YEAH. SO THE BOOK IS ABOUT MY SON HENRY, WHO WAS DIAGNOSED WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER AT THE AGE OF PROBABLY 2120, HAD HIS FIRST MANIC BREAK, HAD TO BE HOSPITALIZED. AND THE REALLY THE BOOK IS REALLY ABOUT MY STORY OF HOW I CAME TO GRIPS WITH HIS DISEASE AND HIS ULTIMATE DEATH. AND SO IT’S A LITTLE STORY ABOUT HOW SOCIETY HAD LET ME DOWN, HOW EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS LET ME DOWN, HOW, YOU KNOW, THE MENTAL, THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY LET ME DOWN UNTIL I FOUND UNTIL I FOUND SERENA AND JUST HOW TO STRUGGLE AND GET THROUGH, YOU KNOW, A HORRIBLE SITUATION. SO IT’S A IT’S A MEMOIR ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MENTAL HEALTH. AND, LOOK, WE TALKED TO WE’RE GOING TO THANK YOU FOR SHARING THE STORY TOO. AND DOCTOR, LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS WITH YOU. THERE IS A STIGMA WITH SOME PEOPLE. SOME PEOPLE FEEL THAT THEY’RE IN NEED AND THEY’RE SUFFERING AND THEY NEED TO GET HELP, BUT THEY JUST DON’T KNOW HOW OR WHO TO ASK FOR THAT HELP. WELL, I THINK THERE’S A COUPLE WAYS TO LOOK AT THIS. ONE. WE HAVE WE AT OUR CLINIC, THE EARLY PSYCHOSIS INTERVENTION CLINIC IN NEW ORLEANS, WORK AROUND WORK WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH PSYCHOSIS AND PSYCHOSIS IS A DISCONNECT FROM REALITY. AND SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS INCLUDE AUDITORY HALLUCINATIONS, VISUAL HALLUCINATIONS, PARANOIA AND DELUSIONAL THOUGHTS. AND SO IF YOU’RE A YOUNG PERSON AND THE ONSET OF PSYCHOSIS IS USUALLY 16 TO 25 YEARS OLD, WHEN YOU HAVE THAT HAPPENING, IT’S SCARY. SO I THINK WE START WITH THE CONFUSION AND THE FEAR AND THE SELF STIGMA THAT COMES WITH THAT HAPPENING. AND THEN THERE’S THE STIGMA THAT PEOPLE ENCOUNTER WITHIN A FAMILY THAT MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND MENTAL ILLNESS, MAY HAVE JUDGMENTS, THAT GETS IN THE WAY. THEN WE TAKE IT OUT OF THE FAMILY, INTO THE COMMUNITY WHERE PEOPLE ARE CRITICIZED, SEEN AS FAULTY, SEEN AS LESS THAN WHEN THEY’RE STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS, AND THEN MOVE IT OUT FURTHER. AND THERE’S A SYSTEM THAT’S NOT REALLY PROVIDING THE SERVICES THAT ARE REALLY GOING TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES. HAVE WE GOTTEN BETTER? BECAUSE PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING THIS RIGHT NOW MAY SAY, I KNOW SOMEBODY LIKE THIS OR WHO’S IMPACTED, HOW CAN SOMEBODY WHO IS WATCHING THIS GET THE HELP OR THE SERVICES THAT THEY NEED RIGHT NOW? SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS, BUT I WILL SAY THE WAY THAT I KNOW BEST IS WE HAVE A WEBSITE CALLED CALM NOLA AND PEOPLE CAN GO ONLINE AND IF THEY THINK THEY KNOW SOMEONE WHO’S STRUGGLING WITH PSYCHOTIC SYMPTOMS OR MENTAL ILLNESS, WE HAVE A QUIZ THERE THAT INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE, FAMILY AND FRIENDS CAN TAKE, AND IT HELPS PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND SORT OF THE RISK THEY’RE AT OR WHAT’S HAPPENING, TO GIVE THEM INSIGHT TO THEN REACH OUT TO US IF WE’RE NOT THE RIGHT PLACE FOR THEM TO LAND. AND THAT’S A GOOD, GOOD THING IF PEOPLE THINK THEY’RE EXPERIENCING PSYCHOSIS AND ARE NOT, WE CAN HELP DIRECT THEM TO OTHER PLACES. SO I WOULD SAY THAT IS ONE ONE WAY WE HAVE NAMI, WHICH IS A GOOD RESOURCE. WE HAVE JEWISH COMMUNITY SERVICES. THERE ARE SERVICES, THERE ARE OUTLETS OUT THERE. AND LOOK, YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT THIS TRIP. THIS IS DEEPLY PERSONAL FOR YOU. BUT DO YOU THINK THERE ARE MORE FAMILIES OUT THERE RIGHT NOW THAT FOUND THEMSELVES IN THE SAME SPOT THAT YOU FOUND YOURSELF IN AS A FATHER AND A PARENT, THAT JUST THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO? AND THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO. IT’S UNCHARTED TERRITORY, BUT YOU’RE HELPING TO TRY TO FIND THEM A WAY TO CHART A BETTER PATH. RIGHT? AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, AS A PARENT, RIGHT? SO ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU READ THE BOOK, YOU’LL UNDERSTAND FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, WHEN MENTAL ILLNESS, WHEN IT STRIKES YOU FEEL LESS THAN RIGHT, YOU FEEL LIKE YOU SHOULD BE DOING MORE. YOU FEEL LIKE, OH MY GOD, MY KID’S IN PERIL. WHAT DO I DO? AND SO THAT FEELING IN AND OF ITSELF IS DEBILITATING, RIGHT? AND THEN ADD ON TO THAT THE SHAME SOCIETY PUTS ON TO MENTAL ILLNESS AND THE FACT THAT YOU DON’T WANT YOUR CHILD LABELED MENTALLY ILL AND YOU PUT ALL THOSE THINGS TOGETHER AND YOU REALIZE WHY YOU GET PARALYZED, WHY YOU DON’T WANT TO GO SEEK HELP. BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT, NOT THAT FINDING A COMMUNITY, FINDING PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND WHICH AND THEY DO EXIST, FINDING PEOPLE YOU CAN SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH. IF YOU DON’T, IT WILL EAT YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT. ARE WE GETTING BETTER IN THIS COUNTRY? IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA? IS THIS ISSUE AND THIS PROBLEM BECOMING LESS STIGMATIZING FOR PEOPLE? WE’RE GETTING BETTER. WE’RE WE’RE A LONG WAY FROM THERE. WE’RE GETTING BETTER. WE’RE ESPECIALLY GETTING BETTER, QUITE HONESTLY, AROUND DEPRESSION. IT’S NOT QUITE SO STIGMATIZED BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF YOUNG KIDS WHO EXPERIENCE REAL DEPRESSION. AND I THINK THERE’S MORE OF AN OUTLET FOR THAT. WE’RE DOING A BETTER JOB GETTING INTO SCHOOLS. WE’RE DOING A BETTER JOB OF MAKING THAT AWARE. I THINK AS A PARENT OF A KID WHO’S STRUGGLING, IT’S JUST SUCH A HARD THING. YOU KNOW, I LIKE TO SAY THAT WHEN WHEN YOUR KID’S BORN, YOU COUNT THE FINGERS, YOU COUNT THE TOES, THEY WALK, THEY TALK. EVERYTHING’S GOOD. RIGHT? IN SPORTS. AND THEN THEY ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY’RE 22 YEARS OLD AND GOING THROUGH A PSYCHOTIC EPISODE. IT’S LIKE NOTHING YOU’VE EVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. IN THE BOOK I TALK ABOUT, IT’S ALMOST LIKE YOU’RE WATCHING YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE, BUT THEY’RE SPEAKING IN SPANISH AND MOVING BACKWARDS. I MEAN, IT’S JUST THEY’RE TALKING AT YOU, NOT TO YOU. AND IT’S JUST IT’S REALLY A IT’S CRAZY NOT TO USE THAT TERM, BUT IT’S JUST BEYOND BELIEF. AND SO I THINK AS A PARENT, YOU STRUGGLE. AND THEN SOCIETY STARTS THAT JUDGMENT, WHICH I TALK ABOUT. IF YOU EVER BEEN AROUND FIGHTER PILOTS. RIGHT. A PILOT, A GOOD PILOT, ALWAYS THINKS THAT A PLANE CRASH IS PILOT ERROR 100% OF THE TIME. WINGS COULD FALL OFF, ENGINES COULD COME OFF, BUT THE PILOT SHOULD HAVE CHECKED ALL THAT. RIGHT? AND THEY DO THAT BECAUSE THEY’RE FLYING THESE BIG MACHINES. AND THEY HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE CONTROL. AND I THINK PARENTS ARE A LITTLE THAT WAY. THEY HAVE TO BELIEVE THEY CAN BE IN CONTROL. AND IF THEY ARE, THEIR KIDS WILL BE OKAY. AND SO THEY’RE THEY SORT OF USE THAT JUDGMENT AS A, AS A WAY TO PROTECT THEMSELVES. BUT FOR THOSE PARENTS WHO ARE GOING THROUGH THIS, YOU KNOW, I SAY ALL THE TIME TWO THINGS CAN BE TRUE. YOU CAN DO THE BEST YOU CAN AND IT CANNOT BE GOOD ENOUGH. YOU’RE YOU’RE RIGHT ABOUT THAT. LET ME OPEN LET ME ASK YOU THIS QUESTION IN ABOUT 90S. IF YOU CAN ANSWER BECAUSE WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME, HOW BIG OF A ROLE IS SOCIAL MEDIA? AM I OPENING PANDORA’S BOX HERE? BECAUSE SOCIAL MEDIA, WE ALL USE IT. BUT FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY BE STRUGGLING, IT COULD PROBABLY, I WOULD IMAGINE, LEAD TO BIGGER PROBLEMS OR ISSUES WITH PEOPLE WHO MAY NEED HELP. YEAH, YOU’RE OPENING PANDORA’S BOX, BUT WHAT I CAN SAY CAN BE USED FOR GOOD AND IT CAN BE USED FOR EVIL, SO TO SPEAK. AND I THINK THE THE CHALLENGE IS RIGHT, BEING FEELING LESS THAN IN WHEN YOU SEE THINGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT ARE DIFFERENT THAN YOU, YOU SEE FRIENDS AND INDIVIDUALS DOING THINGS THAT YOU CAN’T DO, DON’T FEEL LIKE DOING RIGHT. THERE CAN BE THAT. IT CAN PERPETUATE THAT SELF STIGMA THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT. YOU CAN BE EXPOSED TO THINGS, RIGHT, THAT PLANT IDEAS IN ONE’S HEAD THAT CONTRIBUTE TO SORT OF DELUSIONAL THINKING OR PARANOIA. SO ALL THAT IS REAL. ON THE FLIP SIDE, I THINK YOU HAVE A LOT OF GREAT PEOPLE WHO ARE PRESENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE OF PSYCHOSIS, LIVED EXPERIENCE OF MENTAL ILLNESS, WHO ARE SHARING THEIR STORIES AND TRYING TO BE BRAVE AND BREAK STIGMA. AND SO THOSE INDIVIDUALS, I THINK, CAN HAVE A POSITIVE INFLUENCE. AND IT JUST DEPENDS WHERE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE LAND. AND I JUST WANT TO ADD ONE THING, BECAUSE I LIVE THROUGH THIS, THOSE ARE THOSE ARE ALL TRUE. IN MY CASE, WHAT MY SON DID WAS HE WOULD GET ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE HEAT OF A MANIC EPISODE AND JUST POST NOT GREAT STUFF, RIGHT? SO THERE’S ALSO NO FILTER FROM THE PERSON GOING THROUGH IT, AND THEN THEY’RE OUT THERE WITH ALL THIS STUFF, AND THEIR FRIENDS ARE LOOKING AT IT, AND THEIR PEERS ARE LOOKING AT IT, AND IT CREATES MORE STIGMA BECAUSE NOW THEY’RE SAYING STUFF THAT REALLY MANY TIMES DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE. AND THEY PUT THAT OUT TO THE WORLD WITH NO FILTER. WE PROBABLY NEEDED 90 MINUTES, NOT 90S TO TALK ABOUT THIS TOPIC REALLY QUICKLY. BEFORE WE GO, THE TUNNEL IS THE NAME OF YOUR BOOK YOU DID PRESENT AT TULANE BOOK FEST, AND REALLY QUICKLY, IF YOU COULD WRAP US UP WITH THIS, THE PROCEEDS OF THIS ARE GOING TO HELP IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. YES, THEY’RE GOING TO HELP GROUPS LIKE CALM AND EPIC, NOLA AND NAMI HERE, A LITTLE BIT TO THE JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES, THE SUICIDE PREVENTION GROUP. BUT IT’S YEAH, I, I FEEL VERY STRANGE TAKING ANY MONEY OFF OF WHAT I HAD TO GO THROUGH. AND I’M HOPING THAT NOT ONLY CAN I RAISE AWARENESS, BUT WE CAN RAISE A LITTLE CASH FOR THESE AGENCIES THAT ARE DOING INCREDIBLE WORK. I MEAN, REALLY INCREDIBLE WORK. ALL RIGHT. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. CANDID STORY. WE THANK YOU FOR COMING ON. DOCTOR SERENA CHAUDRY, WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AS WELL AS A PROFESSIONAL WHO OVERSEES A LOT OF THIS. THAT’S ALL THE TIME THAT WE HAVE FOR THE HOT SEAT. I’M TRAVERS MACKEL YOU CAN SEE THIS ENTIRE SEGMENT STARTING MONDAY MORNING O