In addition to being the mother of two sons, I'm a science writer, focusing on the mental health concerns that can rob a parent's much needed sleep. A little over 10 years ago, when my then 17 year-old son Alex was diagnosed with schizophrenia, I desperately needed a blog like this. Rather than accept his doctor's opinion that Alex's best days were behind him, I immersed in the science of mental illness to help Alex find treatment and, ultimately, reach recovery. I went back into it to deal with my own depression, and a third time after my youngest son Sammy developed a debilitating anxiety disorder. As I discovered when doing the research for my book, A LETHAL INHERITANCE, clusters of mental disorders and addictions run in families. Healing is also a family affair. In this blog, I keep up with the science and put it into plain talk that parents can use. You'll hear about treatment that includes therapy and medication. I have no agenda, other than mental wellness. There's plenty here also on emotional resilience, and prevention. Please ask your own questions, and I promise to do my best to find answers.