I will write about one foolproof tactic for doing well in recovery and then talk about it on Thursday as it relates to how I used it.

I do not take lightly the idea of getting your mother or father, an aunt or uncle, your husband or wife or sister or brother to talk with your psychiatrist as the need arises.

Type up a letter stating your wishes and give it to your doctor to place in your file. Or possibly send him or her an e-mail documentation.

I do not subscribe to the current anti-treatment bias against parents: the widespread blaming of mothers for what happened to their kids who develop schizophrenia or another mental illness.

No no no: the anti-treatment crowd bad-mouths parents and unfortunately a lot of susceptible individuals are turned against the very people who can help them succeed: their family.

If you don’t have family, it becomes important to find friends and others in the community you can trust to have your back and who you can go to bat for too.

It’s called “reaching out” and as hard as it might be to do this: we all must reach out for the help that is available. If it seems like no help is available, we must diligently research treatment options that are available. It’s the ethic of “always keep fighting” for your right to get help.

I’ll return on Thursday with a surprising way I got help in my own life. One person I met only 5 times altered my fate for the better all because I reached out for help.