[ Read ] “He Just Wanted a New Prescription. He Ended Up in the Psych Ward Instead.”

(Link to full article here)

So I have this addiction to going to Sofar Sounds shows throughout NYC and I make it a personal mission to take every single one of my friends to a show so they can be exposed to the one-of-a-kind live music experience. Not only am I left with a gratifying in-the-moment and musically exhilarating night, I also get to personally talk to the performers and learn about their stories. Then I follow them on Instagram for future reference and support.

Stuart Leach, aka @leachmusic, was one of these Sofar Sounds performers and instantly captivated me with his soothing sounds and exactly my kind of soft music (he covered "A Case of You"!). But what I didn't know was that he's also an incredible writer, until he posted his feature in The Washington Post on his Instagram. Of course, I read anything that nourishes my specific interest in mental health and this article really stood out to me. With lines like "Are we afraid that mental illness is contagious?" and "This hospital wants me healthy — or, alive — not happy.", Leach courageously shares his personal account of the negative judgement around mental illness prescriptions and the difficult obstacles society places on simply receiving external help.

I highly recommend reading this article in order to understand more about how our society responds to the dynamics of mental illness and just reading one person's account demonstrates how an entire realm of reality is being inaccurately treated and neglected. 

I hope you'll give it a good read. I promise you'll leave feeling more passionate about doing something to combat the ongoing problem in our society. 

Thanks Stuart for sharing your story!

(Link to full article here)