Carl Blumenthal Bio

Growing up in a middle-class Jewish family outside of New Haven, CT in the 1950s, I was the oldest of four children. However, my younger brother’s severe mental illness overshadowed my family life, and I acted out to compete for my parents’ attention. After being sent to a psychiatrist at age 11, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder during my senior year of college after my first suicide attempt.

For 25 years, I worked as an urban planner in various states before being urged by my mother, a social worker and president of the local community mental health center, to volunteer for NAMI NYC Metro. This experience led me to become a peer specialist in 2002, helping others with behavioral health challenges. Although I faced ups and downs over the years, nothing compared to the severe depression I experienced in 2006, which led to rapid cycling and two suicide attempts.

I took a five-year hiatus from work, volunteering, and writing, my lifeblood, due to my struggles. However, during this time, I took care of my brother during his last four years when his mental illness became completely disabling. This experience reignited my passion for supporting peers with behavioral health challenges. Since the start of the Covid pandemic, I have worked for NYC Well (988), VNS Health’s Brooklyn Mobile Crisis Team, NYS Academy of Peer Services, Sunset Terrace Family Health Center, and now Fountain House.