While writing about a family coping with a child who had a mental illness, Karen Winters Schwartz wanted to create a book that was ‘enjoyable to read without being depressing as hell.’ 

Winters Schwartz, who will speak Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Jabberwocky Café, accomplished this with her first published novel, ‘Where Are the Cocoa Puffs?: A Family’s Journey Through Bipolar Disorder.’ The fictional novel is based off Winters Schwartz’s personal experiences and is told from several viewpoints, including those from individuals who were affected in different ways by the adolescent’s disorder. 

‘I wanted to tell an extremely depressing story in a hilarious way, I use a lot of humor,’ said Winters Schwartz, an optometrist who works in Marshall Square Mall and has another book about schizophrenia in the works. 

Winters Schwartz said it is important for college students to be informed about mental illnesses, especially bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, because they tend to break out during college years. Stress is usually the main trigger, and students commonly battle with drinking and drug addictions as they attempt to mask their problems, she said. 

One out of four individuals suffers from a mental illness, and individuals should get help before they have breakouts on college campuses, Winters Schwartz said. 

‘It’s OK to be gay now, but it is still not OK to be crazy. People with mental illnesses are suffering in silence,’ Winters Schwartz said. 

In addition to being an optometrist and author, Winters Schwartz is also a board member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness for the Syracuse region. The alliance is a national grassroots nonprofit organization that supports people with mental illnesses and their families. It also promotes awareness of mental illnesses, she said. 

The alliance has its own chapter on the Syracuse University campus. Jillian Rogers, a junior psychology and gerontology major, has been a member of the club since her freshman year and is now the president. Rogers said she is passionate about the organization, as she also has a family member with a mental illness. 

Since she became president, the group has gained a stronger presence and has begun to bring people like Winters Schwartz to campus, Rogers said. Winters Schwartz had previously contacted Rogers about speaking at the SU campus, she said. 

Rogers said she is also in training to be a family supporter so that she can help the friends and families of those with a mental illness deal with the situation. 

‘We want to get rid of the stigma associated with mental illness,’ Rogers said. ‘We want people to talk about it more so it is not such a taboo topic.’ 

rebarill@syr.edu