Minds on the Edge: Facing Mental Illness

On Wednesday, July 20 at 8 p.m., Minds on the Edge: Facing Mental Illness connects the dots between personal dilemmas facing individuals and families who are living with mental illness, medical practices that can be obstacles to treatment, laws that may have unintended consequences, and public policies that all too often fall short in responding with programs that could make a positive difference.

It zeroes in on wrenching and confounding situations that are playing out every day in homes and hospital emergency rooms, on city streets and school campuses, in courtrooms and in jails, as Americans struggle with the challenges of severe mental illness.

The distinguished panel includes U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and Nobel Prize-winning neurologist Dr. Eric Kandel, along with attorneys, doctors, legislators, and other experts in the field. Together, they wrestle with gripping dilemmas in hypothetical scenarios that are the signature format of the Friendly Seminars and confront hard choices that are all too real.