How a Latino family deals with mental illness on new podcast episode

A new documentary podcast about mental health, titled Brain Stories, will feature a Latino family on this week's episode. 

On the podcast’s third episode, Adrian, along with his mother, tells the story of being two years old when his father developed schizophrenia and had a psychotic break. 

Serious mental illness in a parent places enormous stress on a family – financially, socially and emotionally – and usually tears it apart. But Adrian and his mother leaned into the strength of their family – a part of their Mexican American heritage – and did something almost no other families do: stayed intact. 

Adrian learned that schizophrenia was hereditary at 13. All he understood was that his dad had it, and he was sure he was going to develop it as well. It took him two decades to learn what you truly inherit when your parent lives with a serious mental illness.

The episode premieres on November 20th. 

Brain Stories is a 13-episode series that captures personal stories of those living with a mental illness, and the people who support them. It was created by documentary producer Frank Kosa and executive produced by feature film and television producer Janet Yang. Brain Stories aims to dismantle the walls of fear, alienation and discrimination around mental illness to instead foster empathy through storytelling. 

“This series tells the long stories of what life with a mental illness is like – moving tales that transform how we view it,” said Frank Kosa. “It places mental illness where it has long belonged —on the spectrum of mental health where we all are.” 

Brain Stories premiered this year on October 23, with episodes being released every two weeks until April 2026. Available on all major podcast platforms and www.BrainStoriesProductions.com.

Learn more about the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) at nami.org. Their resources and materials are also available in Spanish. Find out more about NAMI’s Family-to-Family classes, which are for family, significant others and friends of people with mental health conditions.