{"id":3058,"date":"2025-02-26T05:43:42","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T10:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/?p=3058"},"modified":"2025-02-26T05:43:42","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T10:43:42","slug":"breaking-the-silence-liza-longs-journey-from-stigma-to-advocacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/2025\/02\/26\/breaking-the-silence-liza-longs-journey-from-stigma-to-advocacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking the silence: Liza Long\u2019s Journey from Stigma to Advocacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Breaking the Silence: Liza Long\u2019s Journey from Stigma to Advocacy<\/span><\/p>\n

On the morning of December 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed <\/span>twenty<\/span> children and <\/span>six<\/span> adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, before <\/span>taking his own life<\/span>. Later that day, investigators found Adam Lanza\u2019s first victim, his mother Nancy Lanza, whom he had shot four times prior to leaving for <\/span>the school<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the nation processed the tragedy, it came to light that, at different times, Adam had been diagnosed with <\/span>anxiety, <\/span>sensory<\/span><\/span>integration disorder, <\/span>autism spectrum disorder, <\/span>obsessive-compulsive disorder, and it was suspected that he had <\/span>schizophrenia <\/span>(ABC News, 2014<\/span>; <\/span>Breslow, 2013<\/span>; <\/span>Engel, 2014)<\/span>. It also <\/span>became <\/span>clear that, despite <\/span>his<\/span> parents\u2019 multiple attempts to diagnose and treat <\/span>his<\/span> condition, they were <\/span>unable <\/span>to find the medications and support systems that would be effective.<\/span><\/p>\n

An Anonymous Blogger<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, <\/span>i<\/span>n Boise, Idaho, a mother of four was going through a diagnosis and treatment ordeal <\/span>with her <\/span>13-year-old son. T<\/span>wo days before the <\/span>Sandy Hook <\/span>shooting, <\/span>her son <\/span>\u2013 let\u2019s call him Michael \u2013 <\/span>had been <\/span>placed in an acute mental hospital <\/span>after <\/span>a violent outburst that included yelling, punching, biting, and threats of suicide. In her anonymous blog, The Anarchist Soccer Mom, <\/span>she <\/span>opened up<\/span> <\/span>about <\/span>Michael\u2019s <\/span>threatening behavior, the emotional toll it had taken on her and her other children, and the impossible choices that lay ahead <\/span>(Long, 2012)<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Titled \u201cI <\/span>A<\/span>m Adam Lanza\u2019s Mother,\u201d the post <\/span>described <\/span>\u201cyears of missed diagnoses, ineffective medications, and costly therapies\u201d <\/span>(Long, 2015<\/span>, p. 14<\/span>)<\/span>,<\/span> expressing the author\u2019s greatest fear<\/span>:<\/span> that one day she would find herself <\/span>in Nancy Lanza\u2019s shoes. Initially shared <\/span>on Facebook, <\/span>the post received praise for its honesty, and soon a friend <\/span>urged <\/span>the blogger to publish the piece <\/span>under her real name<\/span>. <\/span>\u201cUntil people start putting their names on these stories, they aren\u2019t real<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> he explained <\/span>(Long, 2015<\/span>, p. 15<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Price of <\/span>Speaking Up \u2013 and <\/span>The Price of <\/span>Silence<\/span><\/p>\n

The blogger\u2019s name was Liza Long, and <\/span>her cry for help was heard and shared by millions of people, leaving <\/span>many <\/span>to wonder what happened next. <\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>o start, <\/span>Michael\u2019s <\/span>estranged father read the post to<\/span> <\/span>the boy <\/span>o<\/span>ver<\/span>the phone <\/span>while <\/span>he <\/span>was still <\/span>hospitalized. Then, the man <\/span>used the essay as evidence to <\/span>take away <\/span>Long\u2019s<\/span> custody of the<\/span>ir<\/span> two younger children until Michael was institutionalized. <\/span>Thus<\/span>begins Long\u2019s book, <\/span>The Price of Silence: A Mom\u2019s Perspective on Mental Illness,<\/span> published three years after th<\/span>e<\/span>se events.<\/span><\/p>\n

The book is written for two <\/span>primary <\/span>audiences: those <\/span>who have a family member with a mental illness and understand it<\/span>s<\/span>complexities and challenges<\/span> \u2013 <\/span>and<\/span> <\/span>those who <\/span>may not realize <\/span>how pervasive mental illness is and whose first inclination <\/span>might<\/span>be to keep it quiet. <\/span>\u201cI hope you\u2019ll look at that child acting out on the playground or in the classroom with different, more compassionate eyes,\u201d <\/span>the author explains<\/span> <\/span>(Long, 2015<\/span>, p. 193<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

One could argue that a third audience for this book was always Long herself. Written in a reflective, journal-like style, revisiting many events <\/span>over and over again<\/span>, the book appears to be a way for Long to process the preceding three years, organize her thoughts, and find strength by connecting with her readers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Overcoming the Stigma and Searching for Answers<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout <\/span>the book,<\/span> the stigma of mental illness takes many forms: from <\/span>self-stigma<\/span>, which <\/span>leads<\/span> parents <\/span>to <\/span>blame themselves for their child\u2019s illness, <\/span>to social stigma<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>encountered<\/span>in stores, churches, and schools. <\/span>Long (2015) <\/span>argues<\/span> that self-stigma is the hardest to overcome, as parents \u201c<\/span>are more than willing to blame themselves, and society at large is happy to reinforce that message<\/span>\u201d <\/span>(<\/span>p. 15<\/span>)<\/span>. She realizes that her initial choice to blog anonymously was driven by self-stigma and that facing <\/span>it <\/span>and openly <\/span>discussing <\/span>mental illness was a necessary step toward finding <\/span>effective <\/span>treatment.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the course of<\/span> the book, <\/span>Michael<\/span>, much like Adam Lanza,<\/span><\/span>cycles through multiple diagnoses: <\/span>intermittent<\/span> explosive disorder; oppositional defiant disorder; pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified; Asperger\u2019s syndrome, attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.<\/span> Long (2015) <\/span>observes that <\/span>this \u201c<\/span>circuitous journey through the Wonderful World of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/span> [\u2026] <\/span>is pretty typical for children with mental disorders<\/span>\u201d <\/span>(<\/span>p. 1<\/span>03<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/span> She <\/span>applies<\/span> <\/span>all <\/span>her skills as a scholar and her dedication as a mother to research<\/span>ing<\/span> the science <\/span>behind <\/span>these disorders and the available treatment options. <\/span>After <\/span>consulting <\/span>numerous <\/span>specialists, she <\/span>finally arrives <\/span>at a <\/span>definitive <\/span>diagnosis for Michael<\/span> \u2013 <\/span>juvenile<\/span> <\/span>bipolar disorder<\/span> \u2013 and confirms that lithium is effective in controlling it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Legacy of \u201cI Am Adam Lanza\u2019s Mother\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Just like the <\/span>original <\/span>essay, the book has led to even more unmasking<\/span>. Following<\/span> its release, <\/span>the public <\/span>learned that Michael\u2019s real name was Eric and that<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>by then, <\/span>he <\/span>was considering his college options <\/span>(Arnold-Ratliff, 2016)<\/span>. Long\u2019s appearances on television, new publications, and congressional testimony <\/span>have <\/span>made her a well-known mental health advocate. <\/span><\/p>\n

Using her authentic voice \u2013 and her <\/span>real <\/span>name \u2013<\/span> <\/span>Long<\/span> has helped make the experiences of families dealing with mental illness more relatable and, therefore, more real for millions of <\/span>people.<\/span> <\/span>It is safe to say that <\/span>Long<\/span> <\/span>will <\/span>never<\/span> be in Nancy Lanza\u2019s position<\/span>\u2013 <\/span>and through her advocacy, she has helped many other families avoid feeling that way as well.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

References<\/span><\/p>\n

Arnold-Ratliff, K. (2016, September 18). <\/span>Liza Long – \u201cI Am Adam Lanza\u2019s Mother\u201d Essay<\/span>. Oprah.com. https:\/\/www.oprah.com\/inspiration\/liza-long-i-am-adam-lanzas-mother-essay<\/span><\/p>\n

Long, L. (2012, December 16). <\/span>\u201cI Am Adam Lanza\u2019s Mother.\u201d<\/span>HuffPost. https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother-mental-illness-conversation_n_2311009<\/span><\/p>\n

Long, L. (2015). <\/span>The Price of Silence: A Mom\u2019s Perspective on Mental Illness<\/span>. A Plume Book.<\/span><\/p>\n

Montaldo, C. (2004, July 21). <\/span>Mass Murderers, Spree and Serial Killers<\/span>. ThoughtCo; ThoughtCo. https:\/\/www.thoughtco.com\/defining-mass-spree-and-serial-killers-973123<\/span><\/p>\n

Rousseau, D. (2025). Lecture Notes from Module 6: The Psychology of Hate and Fear. In <\/span>Retrieved from Blackboard<\/span>. Boston University MET CJ-725.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Breaking the Silence: Liza Long\u2019s Journey from Stigma to Advocacy On the morning of December 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed twenty children and six adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, before taking his own life. Later that day, investigators found Adam Lanza\u2019s first victim, his mother Nancy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23816,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3058"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23816"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3058"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3058\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3060,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3058\/revisions\/3060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/daniellerousseau\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}