The experiences you share will be used to help lawmakers better understand the impact of serious mental illness (SMI), serious brain disorders (SBD), psychosis, and anosognosia. Your story should be 2–3 pages long. You may also include one extra page of photos.

Please keep in mind your and your loved one’s privacy. You can choose to stay anonymous—just let us know. Be sure to include the county you live in.

Your story can help highlight what works and what doesn’t in our mental health, crisis (MCOT-Mobile Crisis Outreach Team, receiving centers), criminal justice (law enforcement, jail, courts, re-entry), and housing systems. Feel free to include anything you believe is important. Use the prompts below to help structure your story:

1. Introduction – Share some background about you and your loved one before the illness began.

2. Noticing changes – Describe the early signs and diagnosis of the SMI or SBD.

3. Your experience – What helped and what didn’t?

4. Lessons learned – What do you wish you had known earlier?

5. What could have helped? – What services or support were missing?

6. Unmet needs – What essential supports were lacking?

7. Ongoing impact – How has this affected your family, finances, or daily life?

8. Conclusion – Summarize your story and share what you hope will change as a result..

Thank you for your courage in sharing. Your voice matters, and together we can push for change. If you’d prefer to tell your story instead of writing it, let us know—an advocate can help record it for you.