Patient Experiences Related Content

Why ECT Is Becoming a Preferred Depression Treatment

Brian Neville had a good life. A one-time bodybuilder, he was 43, a successful businessman in the tanning industry, with a home in Massachusetts and a vacation condo in Florida. Then one morning in 2006 he woke up with the blues. It developed into a persistent darkness that just would not go away...

Video: Patient Story – Wayne

Wayne is a former patient at McLean’s LEADER program which offers substance addiction and trauma care for first responders. Journey to Recovery To help manage the difficulty of his job as a lieutenant at a correctional facility, Wayne would drink for 4-5 hours a day. Drinking wasn’t a pleasure for...

Deconstructing Stigma: Revealing Leads to Healing

The following story features Brandon, a NFL wide receiver, co-founder of PROJECT 375, and participant in our Deconstructing Stigma: A Change in Thought Can Change a Life mental health public awareness campaign. Told through the eyes of its participants, this campaign boldly challenges the...

Paying It Forward Through a Paycheck

Sue Callori needs only to glance at her arms to remember the tools she uses when the going gets tough. On her right arm her tattoos read: “Challenge your thoughts,” “Radical acceptance,” and “Distraction,” and on her left: “This too shall pass.” The writings remind her of what she learned during her...

Living a Healthy Life Without Alcohol

By 5pm, Kathy Stafford’s busy day with the kids was winding down and she would reach for a glass of wine. But as time went on, one glass in the early evening wasn’t enough. “I found myself wanting and having a glass of wine well before 5pm,” says the mother of two whose battle with alcohol lasted...

McLean Embraces Telemedicine

In the chaotic early days of the pandemic, when federal and state regulators lifted a variety of legal barriers to telemedicine services, McLean Hospital programs raced to provide telemedicine to all levels of care Within two weeks, McLean pivoted to telemedicine, with 100% of outpatient and partial...

High School Students Bring Hope and Joy to McLean Patients

For the past few weeks, high school students from Blackstone Valley Tech have been bringing motivational messages, cards, and handmade angels to patients at McLean Hospital. Meghan Griggs, the niece of Karen Gaudette, center director for the McLean Child Care Center, led the effort to make sure...

Patient Perspective: Reflections 20 Years After Seeking Treatment

At 22, Robin did the hardest thing she had ever done in her life: she confronted her fears. Her fear of God, her fear of unintentionally causing others harm, and her fear of germs—all caused by obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)—had robbed her of her teen years and she wasn’t going to let the...

Great Expectations: One Student’s Road to Success at Pathways Academy

Jeffery Lindeland is a two-sport athlete for Belmont High School who successfully fundraises on behalf of his teams and is reaching academic goals in a grade-level math class. Five years ago, his mother, Joy Anne Moses, did not know any of these things were possible. Diagnosed with a cognitive and...

Video: Patient Story – Bob

Bob’s complicated story includes multiple diagnoses, including Alzheimer’s disease. Watch Bob and his wife, Donna, navigate this journey with the help of McLean’s Dr. Brent Forester.

Video: Patient Story – Becca

Becca realized that getting help for her mood disorder was an important piece of achieving her goal of a college degree. McLean’s College Mental Health Program was beside her every step of the way. Watch Becca share her story of treatment and her ongoing journey of recovery.

Tepper Foundation Broadens Access to Child and Adolescent Programs

Shyanne had more or less stopped talking—a disorder called selective mutism. She was depressed and anxious, had stopped going to school, and couldn’t stand to be touched. Her grandmother was doing her best to homeschool her but admits the 12-year-old was learning very little. Then someone told her...

Video: Patient Story – Aaron

Watch Aaron’s story on how he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and taught the skills he needs to manage his mental illness.

Video: Patient Story – April

April’s mom recalls that it was sophomore year in college when “things started to fall apart.” By the time her parents arrived at school to take her to the emergency room, April was experiencing a severe first onset of psychosis.

Paying It Forward

Ten years ago, then 27-year-old Mike Muccio thought he was having a heart attack or a stroke. His heart raced, he was dizzy, off-balance, and felt like he was dying—and it kept happening. With his parents at his side, Mike spent the next nine months in and out of physician’s offices with no concrete...