Sep 20, 2011
In its debut podcast, PEERS focuses on one of the most covered stories of the summer, the Casey Anthony trial. Three years after the death of two-year-old Caylee, a jury found the 25-year-old Florida woman not guilty of the murder of her daughter.
Shortly after the verdict was announced, those still in disbelief of Anthony's innocence struggled with how and why a mother could allegedly kill her child. Many trying to make sense of the terrible act were quick to question the subject's mental state.
Noticing the prevalence of the term "bipolar" in online forums about Casey Anthony around the globe, mental health advocate and writer Andy Behrman decided to write about the issue in the About.com article, "The Casey Anthony Trial Adds to Misunderstanding Mental Illness." Responding to others' questions about whether he thought Anthony had bipolar disorder, Behrman writes about the stigmatization of the condition.
In the very first PEERS podcast with host Jenee Darden, Behrman discusses his thoughts on the Anthony issue and his perspective on the high use of psychiatric medication in the U.S., including why he quit acting as a spokesman for the drug Abilify. Behrman authored a memoir about his early journey through bipolar disorder called Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania, and is currently working on a second book that exposes how major pharmaceutical companies operate.