Hello, I’m Sabah Muhammad, one of the newest staff members at Treatment Advocacy Center. I’m excited to be working as legislative and policy counsel on the advocacy team, using my background as a trial lawyer and public speaker to help pass new laws across the country that will benefit people with severe mental illness and their families.
The reason I chose to do this work goes beyond law, beyond policy. For me, this work is personal. My younger brother was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia 13 years ago. He went from a standout student and star running back to a withdrawn and often catatonic patient.
As I write in a new Personally Speaking blog, my brother’s mental illness is something that my family continues to struggle with. My mother currently has legal guardianship of him, but what happens when she can no longer take care of him? As a big sister, I’ve always wanted to take care of my brother. But I do not possess the skills or the tools to be a 24-hour caregiver.
Fortunately, I know what I can do right now, today, to support my brother and other people living with severe mental illness. I can use all of my energies and abilities to fight to end the criminalization of mental illness and dismantle the legal barriers to treatment.
I’m honored to join my Treatment Advocacy Center colleagues in fighting this good fight.
Your continued support makes it possible for us to do just that.
Thank you.
Sabah Muhammad, Esq.
