We have a crisis on our hands — and it’s not the crisis that you’d expect. The WHO and American Medical Association have recently released data showing that the U.S. is facing a profound shortage of behavioral health care workers, particularly a shortage of psychiatrists. In the country, there are 3,968 whole or partial counties…
Last week, Flawless had the pleasure of attending NAMI-NYC’s annual Seeds of Hope Gala, one of our favorite benefits held every year honoring important work in mental health advocacy. Among the many awe-inspiring honorees were NYC’s First Lady, mental health advocate Chirlane McCray, and New York Jets wide-receiver Brandon Marshall. These two leaders are the…
Last week, Mental Health Awareness Week celebrated its 25th anniversary ending with a global celebration on World Mental Health Day. This important week of awareness coincided with the release of Patrick Kennedy’s memoir, A Common Struggle, which details his personal journey as well as his family’s history of mental illness and addiction. The reveal has…
If you were to compare making a change in the world to tossing a pebble into water, you would quickly see that alone, one single pebble makes a small splash with ripples that slowly fade. You would realize how difficult it is for one individual throwing pebble after pebble to ever make a big wave.…
People often ask me what my dream is in my work at The Flawless Foundation and my answer is always the same: a world where the cause of mental health is celebrated and where every person living with these challenges is embraced by society. And what is also always the same is the vibrant hope…
“But isn’t everything here green?” asked Dorothy. “No more than in any other city,” replied Oz; “but when you wear green spectacles, why of course everything you see looks green to you.” — from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ by Frank L. Baum Dr. Oz has many wondering if he is the doctor he swore to…
The Hippocratic Oath (Greek ὅρκος horkos) is an oath historically taken by physicians. It is one of the most widely known of Greek medical texts. It requires a new physician to swear, upon a number of healing gods, to uphold specific ethical standards. Dear Dr. Oz, You may remember me as I previously reached out…
In a time where so many of our news feeds are filled with sobering stories and disturbing media messages, it can be be easy to overlook the innovation, optimism and inspiration across the mental health landscape. A few weeks ago, I attended a NAMI-NYC dinner, hosted by Dr. Barney and Patricia Kenet, which was a…
Janine Francolini, Founder/Executive Director, the Flawless Foundation SOURCE: Reclaiming Futures Last week at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, I attended the Criminalization of Mental Illness Symposium. National experts shared fourteen presentations in an effort to make sense of hundreds of statistics and research studies on such topics as recidivism, gun…
