Pulitzer Prize Finalist To Speak at ESU About Son’s Odyssey with Mental Illness

Posted by: admin on October 1, 2014, No Comments

Peter-Earley
After journalist Pete Earley’s son was arrested for breaking into a house while in a delusional state, Earley decided to investigate the workings of America’s mental health system and the laws governing it.

His disturbing findings became the subject of Earley’s book “Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness,” which was a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Earley will discuss his experiences and what he found in the broader mental health system at a free lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 7:00 p.m. on the campus of East Stroudsburg University, in the Niedbala Auditorium in the Warren E. ’55 and Sandra Hoeffner Science and Technology Center, 108 Normal Street, East Stroudsburg.

The event’s sponsors include ESU, Pocono Medical Center, Pyramid Healthcare and Carbon Monroe Pike Mental Health and Developmental Services.

A former Washington Post reporter, Earley is the author of three novels and 10 nonfiction books, including the New York Times bestseller, “The Hot House: Life Inside Leavenworth Prison.”

Earley’s own experiences and research for the book “Crazy” – which refers to the mental health system — prompted him to join the National Alliance on Mental Illness and become an outspoken advocate for mental health reform.

“A colleague and mental health advocate gave me the book a few years ago. I read the book over a long weekend and found it such a compelling, well researched story that for the last two years the book has been used in all of the ESU’s public health ethics and policy courses,” said Dr. Alberto Cardelle, dean of the college of health sciences at ESU and co-organizer of Earley’s appearance.

In his public talks, Earley describes his attempts to help his son Mike, who was denied treatment during a psychotic episode when he was arrested for the break-in. Earley details how prisons have become the new asylums and what Americans can do to change that.

His work on the subject led to his appointment to serve on a criminal justice task force created by the Virginia Supreme Court to make recommendations about the state’s mental health laws.

Earley has been interviewed about “Crazy” on National Public Radio’s “Fresh Air” and in Salon.com and received high praise for his writings from bestselling authors such as Nelson DeMille and in newspapers like The Los Angeles Times.

The Oct. 15 talk is being held in conjunction with National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month. Other regional events being coordinated by Pocono Medical Center include the showing of the movie “Reign Over Me” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8 at Pocono Community Theater, 88 S. Courtland Street, East Stroudsburg. The film, with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle, is about a man who sinks into mental illness after his wife and children are killed in the September 11 attacks and the friend who tries to help him.

“In recognizing that at least one in four adults and one in 10 children across the United States are impacted by mental illness, we are offering free depression screenings, a free mental health talk, and a free movie showing in our quest to build a healthier community,” explains Geoffrey M. Roche, director, community and government relations for Pocono Health System/Pocono Medical Center and the event’s co-organizer.

National Depression Screening Day is Oct. 9 and free depression screenings will be held Oct. 6-10 around the region. The 15-20 minute confidential screenings with a behavioral health professional will be: noon – 4 p.m., Oct. 6, at the Homeless Street2Feet Day Center, 130 N. First Street, Stroudsburg; 1 – 6 p.m., Oct. 7, at the Pocono Community Church, 1050 Memorial Blvd., Tobyhanna; 1 – 6 p.m., Oct. 8, at the Western Pocono Community Library, 2000 Pilgrim Way, Brodheadsville; 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Oct. 9, at Pocono Medical Center, Stroud and Brodhead Rooms, 206 East Brown Street, East Stroudsburg and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Oct. 10, Dingmans Medical, 1592 Route 739 Suite 1, Dingmans Ferry.

Appointments are suggested but walk-ins are welcome. Call 570-476-3393 or email. For more information on Pete Earley’s talk, contact us.