Dr. Hallowell talks to his good friend and former student Ken Duckworth who is currently the head of NIMA and is a leader in the field of mental health. He is currently writing a groundbreaking book which he will discuss with Dr. Hallowell, sharing exclusive and deeply personal details concerning who he is and why he does what he does.

Show Notes

Podcast: Dr. Hallowell’s Wonderful World of Different

Episode: Ken Duckworth

Welcome to Dr. Hallowell’s Wonderful World of Different, a podcast hosted by Dr. Ned Hallowell! By interviewing a wide range of guests from various backgrounds, we will uncover and celebrate the different ways people have of approaching life, solving problems and having fun. Together, we will break down the notion of normal and abnormal, and instead tap into the talents everyone has.

Today’s guest is Ken Duckworth, a leading advocate for mental health awareness in the U.S. He is the Medical Director of the National Alliance of Mental Illness and author of the upcoming book You Are Not Alone. Ken’s father, a creative and loving person, had a severe case of bipolar disorder. Growing up, Ken desperately wished for a book where he could learn from others who had lived in similar conditions. Ken’s book, You Are Not Alone, is a collection of real stories curated to convey the idea that it’s okay to talk about these struggles.

Ken reveals that less than 50% of people struggling with their mental health receive treatment. Not only will Ken’s book share the reality of these struggles, but it will include the tremendous talent and dignity many of the patients have. He stresses that your diagnosis is not who you are. His book will be short stories meets the latest science meets someone like you. It’s a book for people with these conditions and their friends and family members, to answer a wide range of questions they will have. Readers will learn that there are many ways of addressing these conditions, and the conditions are not entirely bad.

The key to Ken’s book is giving a platform for real people to share their real, personal stories. You Are Not Alone is set to be released in just over one year. Ken will be doing an international book tour alongside everyone who’s stories are featured in the book. If you’ve lived with something, you should be on the stage with Ken too, because there will more than likely be someone else in the audience struggling with the same things.

Links:

Reach Ken at ken@nami.org.