Jerri Clark’s son Calvin was in college when his erratic behavior began, eventually leading to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. His run-ins with law enforcement convinced Clark that medical and legal systems have very little tolerance for individuals with serious psychiatric issues. She shares her brief but spectacular take on why mental illness ‘should never be a crime.’

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In this courageous talk, Sam Cohen – a high school sophomore – implores us to treat mental illnesses as the illnesses that they are, and to move forward as a culture in an accepting and nurturing way in treating these illnesses. In her talk, she explores what it means to be mentally ill in our society.

Sam Cohen is a high school sophomore finishing up her first year here at SRDS. She is an avid photographer, having graduated a four-week photography program at the New York Film Academy and hopes to one day use her photographs to make a difference in the world. More than anything else, she loves dogs. Here today at TEDxYouth@SRDS, Sam will discuss the stigma surrounding mental illness, and what each of us can do to change things for the better.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx