Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Laura Craciun: A Son's Mental Illness and a System That Failed Him
Thu, 29 May 2025
Send us a text Laura Craciun shares her son's harrowing journey with serious mental illness and the systemic failures that criminalize mental health conditions instead of treating them. Her story highlights the urgent need for better policies to support individuals with psychosis and their families. • Laura's son was misdiagnosed with ADHD before eventually being diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at age 20 • Cannabis use potentially triggered or worsened his psychotic symptoms • Despite 16 attempts to get help through ERs and police, the family faced constant rejection from healthcare facilities • Anosognosia (lack of illness awareness) prevented her son from voluntarily seeking treatment • After a violent episode, her son entered the justice system rather than receiving appropriate psychiatric care • Their state's mental health department only offers services to those who volunteer, excluding those with anosognosia • The legal system spent resources on 72 court hearings rather than on treatment • Laura advocates for Assisted Outpatient Treatment laws to bridge the gap between legal and medical systems • Better education is needed for judges, lawyers, and medical professionals about serious mental illness We ask that you 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. https://tonymantor.com https://Facebook.com/tonymantor https://instagram.com/tonymantor https://twitter.com/tonymantor https://youtube.com/tonymantormusic intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)
What is the focus of Laura Craciun's advocacy?
Okay, so you just brought up the fact that he thought he was the creator. Can you explain anisognosia and what that is so that the listener can get a better grasp for understanding this whole process that he's going through?
Well, you can have psychosis and the symptom of anosognosia when you have these illnesses brought on possibly from marijuana or from a genetic illness in your family history. I'll do it through a story. Nick and I went for a walk on the beach when he came back from being missing three months. And I'll never forget the moment he turned to me. He's like, you know, I can hear and see aliens.
And I said, oh. I tried to sound normal and he said, yeah, all I have to do is turn my head without my brain telling me to. And I could see and hear the alien in the passenger seat in the car I was living in Cape Cod in the winter. It didn't have a window. I was trying to act normal. And then, you know, he was saying things that I'd never heard him say before with total conviction.
When I tried to say to him, you know, maybe you need some help, he was looking at me like I was crazy, that there was something wrong with me. So when you see it and you hear it for the first time, you'll never forget it. And most people go a lifetime never face-to-face with something like this, especially with someone you know. So it was very scary.
So when that happened, what was your next step? You knew he needed help. So what was your next step to help him, even though he thought in his mind he didn't need any help at all?
I resorted to everything from looping in the rest of my family, and they were all very supportive, and trying so hard to write emails and urge people to give him the help he needed. It was only when he became so obvious that it was dangerous that that was how he was getting medical treatment It took extreme measures.
Even the crisis lines, the 988, nothing was working because it's hard to believe unless you're in front of it. And he can pull himself together very coherently in front of professionals. And so it was very difficult and we struggled with that.
So when he would get in front of professionals, he would put himself in a situation so they would diagnose him as being okay. But ultimately, seems like they would see through that eventually.
Well, he definitely did not like being in a hospital setting. He definitely didn't think he needed medical treatment. So I think he would do everything he can with his intelligence to sound very, you know, well-spoken.
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