July 10, 2012
"The fact is, I didn’t die; I survived, and I told myself that fact every single day. It’s a little like having a meteor land in your backyard without hitting the house. You can either focus on the meteor, and what almost happened, or you can focus on the fortunate miss and what didn’t happen. I decided to do my best to focus on the miss."

— I already wrote a little about USC professor Elyn Saks’ amazing talk at TEDGlobal, and now I’m here to recommend her 2007 book, The Center Cannot Hold, in which she tells her own story of schizophrenia and mental illness in more detail than 18 minutes will allow. It’s a difficult read at times, but it’s also utterly fascinating. And I loved the insight above more than I can tell you. *Resolves to focus on the fortunate miss.*

July 2, 2012

I just got back from covering TEDGlobal in Edinburgh. The annual shindig had an incredibly powerful roster of speakers, and the four-day conference passed in a flash. There follows posts on some of the talks that are already online, along with some of my favorites. Do check out the TED blog for full coverage (the indefatigable Ben Lillie and I switched off, writing up every speaker’s presentation in real time.) Without a doubt, this talk by USC law professor Elyn Saks was a top highlight, as she quietly but powerfully recounts her own story and in so doing showcases the ongoing stigma associated with mental illness—and the shocking state of the way we treat it. Did you know that LA County Jail is essentially the biggest psychiatric facility in the United States? Neither did I. Must-watch.