A continuation of the interview with Sheriff Will Diaz. Will Diaz is the central character in the four novels that make up The Lawman Series. The fifth book is expected out about Christmas of 2025.

Richard Muniz – In the books, you talk a lot about Mental Health. Why?

Sheriff Will Diaz: Because it’s important. It’s estimated that in this year, there will be 740,000 suicides worldwide. From what I’ve seen, that estimate is on track. According to the World Health Organization, 280 million people suffer from depression, and that’s what we know of. I’d think the number is at least triple that. Add into that assorted other mental illnesses. You wind up with something that makes Covid, the Black Death, Ebola, and the likes pale in comparison.

Muniz – Why do you champion this?

Sheriff Diaz – Because I’ve gone through depression and dealt with PTSD. I know where it ends. It impacts how you deal with relationships and can even lead to death.

Muniz – in Broken People and your next book, we’re dealing with mental health issues. Can you explain that a little.

Sheriff Diaz: In Broken People, we saw Pam fall apart. She was wounded during a raid on a dope house. Now that, by itself, can mess up a person. But when that person has dealt with a lot of emotions and pain from the past, it can be devastating.

Muniz – What happened?

Sheriff Diaz – She saw her husband killed and she blamed herself for what happened.

Muniz – Who’s fault was it she ended up the predicament she did?

Sheriff Diaz – There’s a lot to go around. The military is part of the problem. She got her discharge before she could be ordered into therapy. When her in-laws talked her into going to the VA for therapy, Pam stopped going. She ran from the situation which brought her to the Valley.

And even here, we missed it. Pam belongs to the LDS faith, a faith that takes a dim view on drinking of alcohol. Yet, we all knew she drank. We all chalked it up to she was a bit of a “Jack Mormon.” None of us ever asked why. While she was never intoxicated, she still liked her brandy in the evening.

What do you when your world comes to an end and you didn’t die with it. Click on the cover picture to learn more of this book.

When she got wounded, that changed. She started going beyond that brandy in the evening. She needed the stuff to sleep and to function. She was drinking vodka. Enough that RJ would say that “Either she was drinking it, or Guns and Roses had been over for a party, or Timmy (her son) had a serious problem.”

That’s when we decided to get something done. That said, it was too late. She blew a stop sign. Someone told the local state cop about it, and he’s the one that caught her drinking.

Muniz – Why wasn’t anything done before?

Sheriff Diaz -Part of it was, we didn’t know. Pam hid it well enough that no one knew. The other part is something my psychologist wife likes to say. “You can’t help someone until they’re sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

She wasn’t sick and tired yet.

Muniz – And that led her to the Labato’s Bridge.

Sheriff Diaz – Yes it did. And if Tony and my wife hadn’t figured out where she went, she may have died there. Her solution was to check out.

Muniz – And in the fifth book, My Brother’s Keeper, you talked about something called “Cognitive Distortion.”

Sheriff Diaz – Here’s a big surprise for you. I’ve been diagnosed with it. And it’s actually rather common.

Muniz – You. You seem to be the most stable person in the world.

Sheriff Diaz – Hey, what can I say. I’m a good actor.

Muniz – I guess I’m not understanding what it is.

Sheriff Diaz – The best I can describe it is people who suffer from it make mountains out of mole hills. They’re irrational thoughts that shape how we see the world. They might be things like “Some girl didn’t go out with me. She’s one of the cool girls and must think I’m a dork.”

Or, seeing the worst-case scenario in everything and knowing it’s going to happen.

Worse, we develop this world view then we look for evidence to support that view.

Granted, Bryan suffered from cognitive distortion on steroids. He thought something was going on in his marriage. There was no evidence to support it. So, he interpreted things to support his feelings. He created a situation in his mind that didn’t really exist.

Muniz – How did you get over it.

Sheriff Diaz – You don’t. Like alcoholism it’s something you live with. There is no magic pill and there is no wishing it away. What you do, like an alcoholic, is you learn to watch yourself. I think that’s part of what Paul was saying when he talks about “Taking every thought captive” in 2nd Corinthians. You start thinking something, how do you realize it’s not from God. In my case, I pay attention to my body. I realized I’d get a distinct physiological reaction. It’s called fight or flight. When something happens and I feel that urge, that’s my prompting from the Holy Spirit is to fall back and regroup. I look at it and ask why I’m feeling this.

Muniz – How did you learn this?

Sheriff Diaz – Not on my own, if that’s what you think. I spent a lot of time with Pastor Morgan. I spent a lot of time with VA. To this day, I still occasionally go back and work on it. And I pray always about it. It’s my own personal thorn in the flesh if you will.

Muniz – Where does it come from.

Sheriff Diaz – Truth! You’re raised that way. Your parents probably suffered from it, their parents probably suffered from it, and on down the line. It’s definitely a generational curse and if we ignore it, we pass it on to the next generation.

Muniz – So that’s why you’re a champion of mental health.

Sheriff Diaz – It has to stop someplace. You have to break the chain. Bryan was raised with it. I fight with it. And if you’re not careful, it will poison you, your relationship and your life and your children.

More on Cognitive Distortion:

https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/cognitive-distortions

An excellent video on the subject. Click here.

Photo by Nathan Cowley on Pexels.com

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