We strongly encourage you to share stories that other families may relate to. The experience of contending with severe mental illness is often isolating for families. One of the things we hear most frequently from people in crisis is how much it helps to know that others have encountered the same challenges, maintained the same hopes, or made progress after years of turmoil. We can help develop and edit your story and will never publish anything without permission. We understand that it may be necessary to post anonymously to respect the privacy of a loved one.
Guidelines for Submissions
- Recommended length: 600-800 words
- Topics: We're looking for informative, personal, motivational, and educational blog posts based on your experience of living with severe mental illness or being a family member, friend or caregiver to someone with severe mental illness.
- All blog posts should be original and exclusive to the Treatment Advocacy Center blog.
- Treatment Advocacy Center reserves the right to edit the copy as seen fit by the organization.
- Authors may include a one-sentence bio at the bottom where you may reference your personal or company website and/or blog.
- Send your submission in the form of a Word document to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
- Photos should be sent as attachments, not embedded in Word docs.
- Photos should be high resolution (1MB or greater) and not subject to copyright.
Archived List
December 2022: Personally Speaking: My Schizoaffective Story
November 2022: En primera persona: la historia de una hermana mayor, del dolor a la esperanza
November 2022: Personally Speaking: An older sister’s story, from hurt to hope
September 2022: Personally Speaking: Saving grace
September 2022: Personally Speaking: How my ORPA internship helped me on the path to a career in mental health policy research
August 2022: Personally Speaking: Having a family member with mental illness
August 2022: En primera persona: Mantengo la promesa que me hice
August 2022: Personally Speaking: Keeping my promise to myself
August 2022: En primera persona: la criminalización de las enfermedades mentales
July 2022: Personally Speaking: The Criminalization of Mental Illness
July 2022: Personally Speaking: Working with a Severe Mental Illness
June 2022: Personally Speaking: Farewell but not Goodbye
May 2022: Personally Speaking: Making space for Black SMI advocates
May 2022: Personally Speaking: I was so sick, I escaped from a psychiatric hospital
April 2022: Personally Speaking: Breaking a Family Tradition
April 2022: Personally Speaking: Surviving My Son's Mental Illness
March 2022: Personally Speaking: A Family Journey Through Severe Mental Illness
March 2022: Personally Speaking: I've Seen the Power of Assisted Outpatient Treatment Firsthand
February 2022: Personally Speaking: Fall Seven Times, Get up Eight
February 2022: Personally Speaking: The Power of the Pen: Writing and Recovery
February 2022: Personally Speaking: My Son Finally Has the Chance to Get his Life Back, After Nine Years
January 2022: Personally Speaking: Applying for SSDI for Family Members with SMI
January 2022: Personally Speaking: A Mother's Story of Surviving Schizophrenia
January 2022: Personally Speaking: How I Finally Found Help for my Co-occurring Disorders with Assisted Outpatient Treatment
January 2022: Personally Speaking: Everyone Deserves to Recover
December 2021: Personally Speaking: My Daughter Needed Help, Not Handcuffs
November 2021: Personally Speaking: From Torture to Treatment
October 2021: Personally Speaking: Fighting for Other Sons
September 2021: Personally Speaking: Speak Up!
July 2021: Personally Speaking: I didn't understand Mental Illness Until it Gripped my Son
January 2021: Personally Speaking: Holding onto Hope
January 2021: Personally Speaking: Time for a Transparent Look at Psychiatric Treatment
December 2020: Personally Speaking: Altered Course
December 2020: Personally Speaking: There is More to the Mind than the Brain
December 2020: Personally Speaking: The Law is Personal
December 2020: Personally Speaking: Keep Moving
November 2020: Personally Speaking: Leading for Our Loved Ones
November 2020: Personally Speaking: Joy Will Lead the Way
November 2020: Personally Speaking: For my son - and yours
November 2020: Personally Speaking: Living my Childhood Dream
November 2020: Personally Speaking: The Author of my Own Story
October 2020: Personally Speaking: You've Got a Friend in Me
October 2020: Personally Speaking: My Family’s Secret is Nothing to be Ashamed of
October 2020: Personally Speaking: I want to be one of the helpers
October 2020: Personally Speaking: Breaking the cycle for my siblings
October 2020: Personally Speaking: The scrum: My journey from rugby to recovery
October 2020: Personally Speaking: Assisted Outpatient Treatment: A Blueprint to Freedom
September 2020: Personally Speaking: Take Mental Illness Seriously
August 2020: Personally Speaking: Forever Young
July 2020: Personally Speaking: Serious Mental Illness is a Serious Brain Disorder
July 2020: Personally Speaking: Assisted Outpatient Treatment Saved my Life
June 2020: Personally Speaking: The Severe Mental Illness Starter Pack
June 2020: Personally Speaking: Removing My Mask
June 2020: Personally Speaking: Am I My Brother's Keeper?
April 2020: Personally Speaking: Iowa's Unique Opportunities
March 2020: Personally Speaking: "I Fear the 'Perfect Storm' Possibly Developing"
November 2019: Personally Speaking: Giving Thanks
November 2019: Personally Speaking: It's About the Beds
November 2019: Personally Speaking: Remembering GG Burns
September 2019: Personally Speaking: To Treat My Bipolar Disorder, I Had to Cross State Lines
August 2019: Personally Speaking: Schizophrenia is Scary but Survivable
July 2019: Personally Speaking: Susan Partovi
July 2018: Personally Speaking: Heather Durham
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Treatment Advocacy Center.
Interested in telling your story? Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.