Title: 
Headings: 

Content: I can promise you, Pete,” he said, “your son knows exactly how you feel about medication. You don’t need to ever mention it to him again.” And since that day, I haven’t. Not a word. So why do persons with mental illnesses refuse to take their medication or stop taking them as soon as they become stable? I am asked that question more than any other after I give a speech. Let’s skip the obvious reasons –that some anti-psychotic medications can dull a person, make them feel physically lousy, kill their sex drive, cause them to gain weight or send them to bed exhausted even though they are already sleeping for 16 hours a day. Let’s ignore the fact that no one really knows the long term health impact that medication can cause on a person’s body. Instead, let’s dig deeper. One day, I asked Mike to explain to me in writing why he had struggled so much when it came to taking his medication.