Eric Diaz
Appearances
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Wow. You just brought up a great point. How do you find the balance between too much stress and too little activity? Where anxiety from being overwhelmed doesn't cause health issues like ending up in the hospital, but depression from nothing happening doesn't take over either. How do you figure out that line so you're not tipping too far in one direction or the other?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
We're genuinely honored to have him join us today. Thanks for coming on.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
That was my next question was about your parents. Initially, they had to navigate your brother's difficulties with his issues. Then sometimes you might have a few issues you have to deal with. How did they handle that?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Nice.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Yes, I love a win-win. Well, let's start with what led you to where you are now. How did your journey begin? What path did you take? And where did that path bring you to where you are today?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
That's really good to hear that you've been accepted that way. Now, what about friends? I often hear that people start out with a lot of friends. Then the more they slip into psychosis, the friendships seem to drift away. Has any of that affected you at all?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Okay, that makes complete sense. Now, where you kind of isolated yourself, didn't get out there at all, how did you motivate yourself to get out there and be part of society so that you could interact with other people?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Are you still active in comedy at all?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Yeah, that's great. So tell us a little bit about your book and tell us where we can get it.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Do you have a website or any way that people can find you so that they want to reach out about your book?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Well, you never know. They just might reach out. Now, in closing, what do you feel that people need to hear about what you're doing?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
absolutely well this has been great great conversation great information thanks for coming on thank you so much for taking the time to interview me oh it's been my pleasure thanks again thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to listen to our show today we hope that you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
If you know anyone that would like to tell us their story, send them to tonymantor.com. Contact, then they can give us their information so one day they may be a guest on our show. One more thing we ask, tell everyone everywhere about Why Not Me? The World, the conversations we're having, and the inspiration our guests give to everyone, everywhere, that you are not alone in this world.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
So in your book, what do you delve into? Do you touch on your brother or do you talk about many different people? What's the scope of what you're doing?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
So both you and your brother have this diagnosis then? Is that correct?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Hopefully, you gain more awareness, acceptance, and a better understanding for autism around the world. Hi, I'm Tony Mantor. Welcome to Why Not Me? The World, Humanity Over Handcuffs, The Silent Crisis special event. Joining us today is Eric Diaz.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Okay. So how long do you think you had it before you actually got treated?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Okay.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Welcome to Why Not Me? The World Podcast, hosted by Tony Mantor. Broadcasting from Music City, USA. Nashville, Tennessee. Join us as our guests tell us their stories. Some will make you laugh. Some will make you cry. Real life people. who will inspire and show that you are not alone in this world.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Wow. So I spoke with a guy who said he spent a short time in jail, but it ended up costing him nearly a decade. He struggled to figure out what was wrong with him, navigating the challenges of getting in and out of the jail system, searching for the right medication. Now he's doing fine.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
But ultimately, it took him that whole decade to work through the maze of it all before they finally found what worked. It doesn't sound like you went through anything like that, but you did have the challenges that you had to work through.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
He's a writer, YouTuber, comedian, and dedicated mental health professional who recently celebrated the release of his debut novel, I Got Sober For This. Eric's life has been deeply shaped by his personal experiences, making him intimately familiar with the profound struggles of addiction and severe mental health challenges.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Do you think that because you did not get diagnosed earlier that it affected your quality of life at all? How do you feel about that overall?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Yeah, that's fine. I get it.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Sure.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Yeah, that makes sense.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Now, have you seen any differences or similarities between you and your brother in your diagnosis and much of the way that you live your lives?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Okay.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
I totally understand that. And that's not a problem.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
I host a lot of autism podcasts. One guest shared a story about his son. His son was walking down the highway, and because he always seemed just like a happy kid, the police assumed he was high on drugs. They took him into custody, but after contacting the father, he explained the situation. They let him go, and everything turned out fine.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Have you ever had any experiences where, due to medications or other factors, you've had interactions with a legal system where they just didn't understand what you were going through?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder as a teenager, he has navigated his complexities firsthand, emerging as a relentless and inspiring advocate for individuals with serious mental illness and their families that support them. With his wealth of knowledge, unique perspective, and unwavering commitment to raising awareness, he's a true asset to any conversation on these topics.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
That's great to hear, especially since it's a common concern for many people. Misunderstandings can escalate quickly when officers don't fully grasp what someone might be going through. It's tricky because law enforcement often has just seconds to assess a situation and make a decision. So it's really reassuring and awesome to know you've had no issues with that.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
Yeah, that's really good that it turned out that well. So now that you've gone through everything, how long did it take you to get stabilized? I mean, from navigating all the different challenges you faced to finally having a job, working, and settling into something like the American dream, or at least your version of it.