Mental illness touches nearly every family, yet it remains one of the least understood and least supported health challenges we face. In this episode, I sit down with Marvin Ross, a medical writer, publisher, and mental health advocate whose work was shaped by his son’s diagnosis of schizophrenia nearly 30 years ago. Marvin shares why mental illness remains one of the most misunderstood and underfunded health challenges in North America, how stigma and lack of treatment contribute to homelessness, and what countries across Europe are doing differently. We also explore mental health literacy, addiction recovery, public policy, the role of families in treatment, and why education remains one of the strongest tools for change. Along the way, Marvin reflects on his publishing journey, the books that have made an impact, and why understanding mental illness is essential if we want to build a more compassionate and effective
Highlights:
01:41 - Learn how Marvin’s son’s schizophrenia diagnosis changed his life’s work.
09:16 - Discover why mental illness is often treated differently than other illnesses.
17:31 - Understand the link between mental illness, homelessness, and lack of care.
19:52 - Learn what Europe is doing differently to support mental health.
25:33 - Hear why mental health literacy needs to improve.
41:12 - Explore the connection between homelessness, addiction, and untreated mental illness.
About the Guest:
I am a medical writer/publisher/ mental illness advocate with a background in research and planning. I began part time in the late 1970's and published a number of books (technical , humour and medical for lay audiences). Thanks to circumstances, I was able to focus full time on freelance medical writing for a wide array of clients.
In the late 1990's, my son developed schizophrenia and I found myself writing about that stigmatizing malady and advocating for improved services. I became active in the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario and am now on the board of the Family Alliance on Severe Mental Illnesses. In 2008, my company Bridgeross Communications, began publishing books mainly on serious mental illnesses beginning with my own book Schizophrenia Medicine's Mystery Society's Shame. It received vary positive endorsements from readers and can found in over 300 libraries worldwide.
As a result, people began contacting me with their own book ideas and I ended up adding another 10 titles by people with schizophrenia or family members recounting their experiences. The first two were by a mother of a daughter with schizophrenia in Vancouver which came out in 2010 and is still selling with positive recommendations in Canada, the US and Europe. The other was by a woman with schizophrenia also in Vancouver who, today, is a fine artist, and a recipient of the Courage to Come Back Award and a Face of Mental Illness in Canada.
Topics covered in the other books mostly still selling deal with a neuroscientist with schizophrenia, a woman married to a man who developed schizophrenia, an African-American woman with schizophrenia written with her daughter on how they coped, a large Irish-American family with a brother with schizophrenia who also developed terminal cancer and a PhD psychologist in Tennessee who partly got through college while living in her car.
I also wrote a regular column for Huffington Post and then for the past 14 years, my own blog which I write with a psychiatrist.
Ways to connect with Marvin:
Website https://bridgeross.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/marvin.ross.731
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvinross/
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBF5XSsysn8HLVbKy3APJJw
And see this trailer which might enhance your show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4loR-bAKbuQ
About the Host:
Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.
Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT\&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children’s Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association’s 2012 Hero Dog Awards.
https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/
https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/
accessiBe Links
https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe
https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/
https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/
Thanks for listening!
Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!
Subscribe to the podcast
If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .
Leave us an Apple Podcasts review
Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.
Transcription Notes: