Podcast Summary
Podcast: Tony Mantor: Why Not Me?
Host: Tony Mantor
Episode: BONUS: Ann Corcoran: Psychosis Is Not a Choice
Date: November 28, 2025
Episode Overview
This powerful episode features Ann Corcoran, executive director of the National Shattering Silence Coalition (NSSC), to explore the urgent need for compassionate, systemic change around psychosis, schizophrenia, and serious mental illness (SMI). Ann shares moving stories, expertise, and actionable insights on the barriers families face, the failures of current legislation, and why psychosis is a medical emergency—not a choice. The conversation emphasizes real-life struggles, pushes back against stigma, and advocates for practical reforms to prevent suffering, incarceration, and needless tragedy.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The NSSC’s Mission and Growth
[02:23]
- Ann Corcoran shares the history and mission of NSSC:
- Founded in 2017, inspired by the work of Jean Gore.
- Composed of caregivers, individuals with SMI, professionals, and advocates.
- Focus: driving systemic change and awareness for those with SMI and their families.
- Emphasis on educational programming, development of guides, and telling real stories to highlight discrimination and neglect—not just stigma.
Quote:
“We’re really just trying to get our stories out there so people can understand that it’s discrimination and neglect that these individuals are facing.” — Ann Corcoran [03:44]
Not Just Stigma: The Reality of Psychosis and Anosognosia
[04:20] – [06:49]
- Psychosis is characterized by a complete loss of contact with reality—individuals believe their hallucinations and delusions.
- Anosognosia: The neurological inability to recognize one’s own mental illness; it’s NOT simple denial.
- These factors make voluntary treatment impossible for many, yet laws require people to “choose” care.
- Ann recounts multiple tragic examples where families were helpless despite exhaustive effort to secure treatment for psychotic loved ones—sometimes with violent or deadly outcomes.
Quote:
“It’s not that they’re denying they have an illness. They truly don’t think they’re ill… It’s similar to someone with Alzheimer’s who doesn’t recognize that they have Alzheimer’s.” — Ann Corcoran [06:36]
- Leaving psychosis untreated is dangerous, unpredictable, and can result in preventable tragedies.
- Systemic inertia often requires families to wait for emergencies or criminal involvement before intervention is allowed.
Legal System Failures and Legislative Barriers
[09:02] – [14:57]
- Massachusetts and Connecticut lack Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) laws, which could allow intervention before someone becomes a danger.
- Existing laws often manipulated or misunderstood—by both “disability rights” groups and legal advocates—perpetuate neglect by treating needed intervention as a violation of autonomy, even when someone lacks capacity.
- Ann is personally advocating, educating DA’s offices and legislators with real stories and resources (like peer-developed psychosis guides) to drive understanding and support for AOT.
Quote:
“When we’re allowing preventable suffering, that is not autonomy—that’s neglect.” — Ann Corcoran [13:34]
- Jails and prisons have become America's largest, de facto mental health institutions, with up to 70-90% of incarcerated individuals suffering mental illness or substance use disorder.
- Early intervention and robust community supports are essential to prevent criminal justice involvement.
The Vicious Cycle: From Court to Jail to the Streets
[16:26] – [23:18]
- Judges, DAs, and defense attorneys often lack the necessary understanding about psychosis and SMI; families are left to educate the system, often without guidance.
- Recidivism is rampant: untreated individuals reappear in court, and after multiple diversions, face harsher sentences because the root cause—untreated illness—remains.
- Mental health courts exist in some jurisdictions but are inconsistent and not universally available.
- Families play a crucial, often unrecognized role in advocacy and navigation of the system; proactive, creative strategies can yield better outcomes.
Quote:
“There’s always something you can do… It might not be something people often do, but we really need to be creative in dealing with the criminal justice system.” — Ann Corcoran [19:53]
Homelessness and Unmet Needs
[21:32] – [24:53]
- The stereotype of homelessness as a “choice” or result of poverty alone is misleading: for many, untreated psychosis leads them to abandon safe environments, regardless of socioeconomic status or family support.
- Systemic barriers keep desperately ill individuals and their suffering families in cycles of neglect.
Quote:
“It’s not necessarily because they have no place to go. It’s because they are in psychosis and don’t want to be at home.” — Ann Corcoran [22:17]
The Promise and Challenge of AOT and System Reform
[24:53] – [26:26]
- Passing and effectively implementing AOT laws, strengthening community behavioral health systems, and sharing best practices and cost-savings data from other states are needed.
- Ann describes resistance among some legislators to learning from other states, but points out the astronomical public cost and human toll of current failures.
- Tragic stories, such as the suicide of Tristan Murphy in jail and cases of familial violence, are both motivators and opportunities for policymakers to enact reform (i.e., the Tristan Murphy Act in Florida).
Quote:
“We have those horror stories… But Cindy was a great advocate, and ultimately [the Tristan Murphy Act] is going to be life-changing for Florida in terms of mental illness.” — Ann Corcoran [26:38]
Final Reflections and Call to Action
[27:12] – [27:55]
- Ann encourages listeners to connect, advocate, and utilize the NSSC’s resources to impact policy and support loved ones.
- Stories change minds, and together families and advocates can break down the institutional neglect perpetuated by ignorance and fear.
Quote:
“There’s always something you can do to reach out and connect with us. We can always help you navigate… Our stories are powerful, and it’s family stories that are going to help change these policies so that this neglect and discrimination ends.” — Ann Corcoran [27:22]
Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments
- “It’s not that they’re denying they have an illness. They truly don’t think they’re ill.” — Ann Corcoran [06:36]
- “Leaving psychosis untreated is a recipe for disaster.” — Ann Corcoran [07:11]
- “When we’re allowing preventable suffering, that is not autonomy—that’s neglect.” — Ann Corcoran [13:34]
- “Jails and prisons have become the de facto mental health institutions.” — Ann Corcoran [14:57]
- “There’s always something you can do… We really need to be creative.” — Ann Corcoran [19:53]
- “It’s not necessarily because they have no place to go. It’s because they are in psychosis and don’t want to be at home.” — Ann Corcoran [22:17]
- “Our stories are powerful, and it’s family stories that are going to help change these policies.” — Ann Corcoran [27:24]
Important Segment Timestamps
- 02:23 — Ann explains her role and the NSSC’s history
- 03:44 — Transition to discussing discrimination versus stigma
- 04:20–09:02 — Barriers to care: realities of psychosis, anosognosia, and tragic stories
- 09:02–13:11 — Legislative inertia, education of policymakers, and AOT
- 14:57 — Prisons as de facto mental health facilities
- 16:26–20:14 — Recidivism and the need for advocacy within the legal system
- 21:32–23:18 — Homelessness and the tragedy of untreated psychosis
- 24:53–26:38 — Policy solutions, the Tristan Murphy case, and directions for change
- 27:22 — Final call to action
Conclusion
Ann Corcoran’s deeply informed, heartfelt advocacy highlights how lack of understanding, legal inertia, and denial of care devastate families and communities facing serious mental illness and psychosis. The episode reinforces that change is possible and necessary—through sharing stories, persistent education, and systemic reform. Her call to action is both practical and hopeful: connect, educate, advocate, and believe that breaking the silence can lead to real solutions.
Resource: nsscoalition.org for support, guides, and advocacy information.