Ep. 169 Patrick J. Kennedy: From U.S. Representative to Mental Health Advocate
Sharing his own struggles with mental health and addiction, Patrick J. Kennedy has spent his career fighting to end discrimination against people with mental health conditions. He founded the Kennedy Forum, an organization that brings together the mental health community, and spent 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
As the nation’s leading political voice on mental illness, addiction and other brain-related diseases, Patrick stresses that mental health should be a top priority. He often compares today’s mental health efforts to the ambitious goals set by his uncle, President John F. Kennedy.
Patrick is also a New York Times best-selling author, and his book Profiles in Mental Health Courage shares the stories of individuals demonstrating bravery and resilience in the face of mental illness and addiction.
In this episode of Flip Your Script with Kristi Piehl, Patrick discusses the power of personal storytelling to break the stigma surrounding mental health and addiction and the need for political advocacy to ensure that people affected by these issues have a voice in shaping policy.
CHALLENGE FOR LISTENERS:
Share your story. If you're not ready to share it publicly, get a journal and write it down.
CLOSING QUOTES
“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total; of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”