Erik - My schizoaffective disorder and the stigma

At the age of 17 Erik makes a very serious suicide attempt and an ambulance takes him to the emergency room. The psychiatrist working at the hospital soon starts to suspect that Erik suffers from something more severe than depression. He gets handcuffed and shackled around his legs and put in a sheriff plane that takes him to a state hospital. This was the beginning of many painful years in forced treatment. In this episode Erik will share his worst memories from his schizoaffective disorder. But he will also talk about the stigma surrounding mental illness and what needs to be done to break the stigma. If you're in the Bay Area and are suffering from mental health illness, you can contact the Mental Health Association of San Francisco for help (https://www.mentalhealthsf.org/). You can also call their warm line for emotional support 855-845-7415