A Parent’s Perspective on Children’s Mental Illness: Liza Long

The following video is a talk given by a mother, Liza Long, who shares her story of seeking treatment for her child with a mental illness diagnosis. She is an advocate for her son and others like him and wants us to know that the stigma of mental illness is alive and strong in the world.  

CONTENT WARNING: There are some topics in this video that can be traumatic/emotionally difficult to watch. She talks about her child being involved with the police, gun violence/school shootings, and suicide, and there is language that stigmatizes mental health differences. Please take care of yourself; you can watch the video if you choose to, and at any time, stop the video. 

If you choose not to watch the video, below are a few powerful quotes from Liza’s story:

• “This problem is too big for me to handle on my own.” 

• “When we don’t own our stories and our sorrow, mental illness becomes somebody else’s problem. Well, I’m here to tell you today that mental illness is my problem and it’s my son’s problem and I want to convince you that it’s your problem, too.” 

• “One in five. One in five children in the United States have a serious and debilitating mental disorder.”  

• “Did you know that the largest mental health treatment facilities in the United States are Cook County Jail in Illinois, Rikers Island in New York, and the Los Angeles County Jail?” 

• “If you had a heart attack right now, we would call EMS, but if you had a psychotic break, we call the police.” 

• “People did not want to believe me when I said that I had seen my son have to go to jail for treatment. It’s true. He was 11 years old and that’s not right.”