For years, Marsha Linehan’s patients noticed the old scars on her arms, and for years she turned their questions aside. Then one patient pressed her. Had Linehan once struggled the way her patients struggled? If she had, the patient told her, the rest of them would have reason to hope. Dr. Linehan answered this question…
In a third-grade class in Riviera Beach, Florida, the teacher handed out five packs of crayons, and seventeen children got none. One boy thought that was unfair. He stole seventeen packs and gave one to each classmate who had gone without. That boy was William Freeman. He knows now that stealing the crayons was wrong.…
November is all about honoring and supporting caregivers. It is also National Stress Awareness Day on November 4th. The two sit side by side on the calendar, and for family caregivers, they sit side by side in everyday life too. Nearly 1 in 4 adults in the U.S., about 63 million people, care for a…
On Tuesday, November 3, voters across the country cast ballots in the 2026 midterm elections. If your jaw has felt tight all week, you have plenty of company. In its 2024 Stress in America survey, the American Psychological Association found that 69% of adults named that year’s presidential election as a significant source of stress.…
October 28 is National First Responders Day. In 2017, Congress backed the date to honor the police officers, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics who arrive first when someone calls for help. Dispatchers belong on that list too. They hear a stranger’s worst moment through a headset and stay on the line until the crew arrives. You’ll…
Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, and for many children that means a long, exciting night of costumes and candy. For a child who feels sounds and lights at a higher volume, the same night can bring a doorbell that plays a scream and a mask that itches ten minutes in. You can plan…
By Dr. Robin Jones Attending the National Federation of Families Conference was an inspiring experience that struck a deeply personal chord for me. Sitting in the front row of our very own Flawless Foundation presentation, “Families as Essential Partners in Mental Health Care: From Blame to Partnership,” presented by Janine Francolini, and John Puls, turned…
By Dr. Robin Jones There is something truly powerful about a community coming together for a shared mission. Last week, our Flawless team laced up our sneakers, headed out to John Prince Park, and joined hundreds of passionate advocates for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Annual Walk. Mental health awareness is a cause…
You walk into a Halloween store with your child and find it on the back wall: a straitjacket splattered with fake blood, in a bag labeled “Psycho Patient.” If you love someone living with a mental health condition, that bag can land like a punch. You have more company than you might think. Mental health…
This week marks International OCD Awareness Week. To honor it, we’re spotlighting an artist we’ve admired for years. Jeff Sparr co-founded PeaceLove, a nonprofit that helps people find peace of mind through expressive arts. He also lives with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). He counts creativity among the most important tools he uses to care for…
