What I miss most about trimming back my public speaking to almost nothing is what I learn from interacting with my audience.

Last week, at a Q and A with a NAMI group in Pasadena, a young man asked: "I have schizophrenia. Will I benefit from your book?"

Yes, I replied without hesitation. In my warm-up to the Q and A, I had referred to stress as complicit in virtually all symptoms and behaviors, and that included bipolar and schizophrenia.

No longer can we refer to bipolar and schizophrenia as if...