Silent Presence Richard Patricia

On this episode of Silent Presence, Rich Patricia revisits a story that he produced in 2008. As a child, he grew up in a household where he cared for a loved one who was suffering from serious mental health problems. He first noticed the changes when he was in 6th grade and they became very serious all throughout high school. In 2008, eleven years ago, he decided to produce a documentary film called Strive for Happiness. This film was his first attempt to open the dialogue about mental illness in our country and have others speak about their own experiences as caregivers for loved ones who also suffer from serious forms of mental illness. So, he decided for Mental Health Awareness Month to extract the audio from this documentary and replay it today as a podcast for all of you.

"Strive For Happiness" is a documentary film about the lives of those who live with or care for loved ones who suffer from the many forms of severe mental illness. The director's hope is that this film raises awareness about the illness, removes some of the stigmas that still exist, and hopefully makes some change in policies that currently exist (funding, etc.) The film is documented by director, Richard M. Patricia as it takes a closer look at his life growing up in a household with a "loved one" that suffered from bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. The interviews throughout the film reflect what his life was like growing up in a household dealing with mental illness. His hope is that this film will catch the attention of many family members throughout the country that know or lived with a loved one who suffers from mental illness. This film will also relate to anyone who cares for someone with an illness in general.

Richard M. Patricia, of Phillipsburg, NJ, has won a prestigious Award of Merit in the Feature Documentary category from The Indie Fest out of California. The award was given for Patricia’s heart-felt documentary film, Strive For Happiness, which is a film about the lives of those who live with or care for “loved ones” that suffer from a serious form of mental illness. This award will be added to his 1st place Telly Award which Patricia won in 2008. Strive For Happiness features exceptional interviews, information, visuals and sound.

“It’s very exciting to be a recipient of such an outstanding award and a part of a great organization like Indie Fest. I am so happy that my film has been able to affect so many people throughout the country.”

01:00 – Rich Patricia introduces his life living with a loved one who suffered from mental illness and his goal to find happiness
04:02 – Various guests talk about life with their loved one before the mental health problems
07:40 – Difficulties with mental illness as a caregiver
10:16 – Not knowing what to do for your loved one with mental health issues
12:04 – Never give up on loved one with mental illness
12:30 – Rich Patricia talks about growing up confused and frightened
13:52 – It’s not their fault but am I making the right choices
15:33 – As a caregiver, mental illness is emotionally draining to deal with
17:54 – I just want normalcy in my life
19:50 – People in your life don’t understand the illness and expect a lot from you. “Just fix it” they say. Get them help. Getting a loved one help is not as easy as you think
27:01 – The cost for mental health care is incredibly expensive while more and more programs are being cut
29:00 – I refinanced my home and used my 401K to support my loved one with mental illness
31:21 – I see how someone’s life can tumble. I see how homelessness happens. You’re only one bill away from becoming homeless
For more information about the Silent Presence Podcast you can visit: https://silentpresencepodcast.com/





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Larry Camp is a former TV anchor, podcast host, author and public speaker. He talks about his upbringing in the Mormon religion and complicated past, the tragic loss of his son and family struggles throughout his life. He considers himself an average guy with a not-so-average life. You’ll learn about his difficult life and how it is to survive in this chaotic world. Larry talks about how to remain optimistic in a pessimistic world and how to address life’s common and uncommon dilemmas. His goal is to leave those who hear his message with an attitude and desire to accomplish hard things.

Larry spent 22 years in corporate America in the quick oil change business with responsibility for over one hundred locations and over one thousand employees. He considers himself a professional motivator with the ability to instill a WANT TO rather than a HAVE TO attitude to the task(s) at hand.  Visit https://silentpresencepodcast.com/ for more information about my podcasts.


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On today's episode of Silent Presence, Marquita Myrick discusses mental health, stress and coping methods during Covid-19. She provides tips for teachers, students and especially parents during this period of time. Topics include dealing with grief and the importance of keeping open lines of communication with family and friends. Some other topics discussed are depression to managing stress and anxiety, addressing trauma, life adjustments, coping after grief and loss, motivation, self-esteem and confidence, and career related issues (especially burnout).

Marquita Myrick is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Mindset Coach and creator of the “Breaking Mindset Barriers for Professional Counselors” coaching program. She is dedicated to assisting counselors in reigniting their passion through burnout recovery and mindset transformation. By creating safe spaces for persons to heal, Marquita has assisted hundreds of individuals in improving their mental health and now focuses on supporting counselors in removing limiting beliefs that hold their passion hostage.

Visit Silent Presence at: https://silentpresencepodcast.com/


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Alison Pena, an international speaker, life legacy consultant, author of "Grief, Navigating the 3 levels of loss" and creator of "The Affluence Code," shares her insights, experiences and strategies for living powerfully. Alison was married to her husband David for 25 years. When he was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and was given only a short time to live, they decided to live fully every minute of every day.

Preparing for loss like this was an impossible thing to do. Becoming a widow only led Alison to a loss of energy, memory and drowning in a seemingly endless landscape of grief and despair. Despite her many challenges, Alison continued to look for and find solutions. She took baby steps to expand her capacity proactively and was able to get back on her feet again through writing, blogging and speaking engagements. Throughout this podcast, Alison will share her insights, experiences and strategies for living powerfully.

Alison Pena can be reached at https://badwidow.com/ where you can receive 1 on 1 Bad Widow consulting and take a Free Living (Really Living) After Loss Assessment and learn where you stand on healing from within, reinventing yourself and rebuilding your supportive community now.

For more information about the Silent Presence Podcast visit https://silentpresencepodcast.com/

Intro/Outro music courtesy of Purple Planet Music (Dreamcatcher)


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On this episode of Silent Presence, we speak with author and public speaker, Ed Kressy about his twenty year battle with addiction and how he finds happiness in his daily life. He spent months in jail, and years in destitution. His final eleven devastating years of addiction to methamphetamine resulting in agonizing psychosis, including extreme paranoia around the FBI.

After getting clean in 2008, he discovered: Just because you're done with drugs, doesn't mean drugs are done with you. He continued to battle severe mental health challenges. In 2019 he received the Director's Community Leadership Award from FBI Director Christopher Wray.

His inspiring transformation is the subject of his book, My Addiction & Recovery: Just Because You're Done with Drugs, Doesn't Mean Drugs Are Done with You (Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press, April 2020). His book is available by visiting his website at https://www.edkressy.com/

Ed is currently a volunteer for the FBI and Police Department of San Francisco where he helps those who are affected by incarceration and addiction. He often volunteers many hours in California state prisons for organizations that deliver training and entrepreneurship and employment for currently and formerly incarcerated individuals.

For more information about the Silent Presence Podcast visit https://silentpresencepodcast.com/

Intro/Outro music courtesy of Purple Planet Music (Dreamcatcher)




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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/richard-patricia/support