2 Comments

I'm so glad you've covered this very important topic, Richard. And I thank Dr. Hong for his contributions to this field. You might find interesting that E. Fuller Torrey has written extensively on how common, and tragic, it is for those with mental illness to end up in the penal system, instead of the medical system, in this country (e.g. see: https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.85.12.1611 [free complete text is available at this site]). I would also note, for your readers, two great resources: the suicide hotline 988 (text is also available at this number) and the organization BringChange2Mind (https://bringchange2mind.org/) for families to support those with mental illness and to fight against the social stigma. Finally, depression tends to be characterized by its cyclic nature, and those who survive the first episode on their own often don't realize how relentless this disorder is--it comes back faster, longer, and harder. The irony is that there are good (not perfect) treatments available for depression--what kills people is not seeking help. I hope you will continue to present similar perspectives. Please let me know if I can provide relevant references (I teach this subject).

Expand full comment