asteroid or a comet than hitting all six numbers. i love all those analogies. you have a better chance of being eaten by a shark. >> thanks for joining us this hour. "sgmd" starts now. we'll be back at the top of the hour. >> we'll see you then. welcome to "sgmd." you know, it's been a full year now since adam lanza killed more than two dozen people at an elementary school in newtown, connecticut. and you know, that's usually when a mental disturbance makes the news, when something terrible has just happened. over the past several months, we decided to do something different here at cnn, to pay attention to this very important issue when the news wasn't breaking, when we had a little bit more time to truly process and understand the impact of mental illness on everyone, on anyone. it is a challenging, at times heartbreaking, but very important story to tell. and a family in san antonio invited us to see what their lives are really like.

>> when people meet my son, they don't see mental illness. >> hey, homom, i'm going to go. >> i want to tell you a story about the love between a mother and her son. >> they don't see the 20 hospitalizations. they don't see that he hallucinates. he strives to be a normal kid, but he has something that holds him back from doing that. >> to protect his privacy, we're not going to show you his face or use his real name. for the next few minutes, he'll be known as daniel. >> when i hit the bag, i think of the voices. >> at age 10, daniel was diagnosed with bipolar illness. even with medication, he hallucinates and hears voices. >> it would get very heated,

because, he would yell at me. and when he would yell at me, i would get really offended, because he was being disrespectful to me. >> mom, i'm trying to help you! i'm trying to help you too. >> i don't tell you when to hear voices. >> i can't handle it anymore! >> not once thinking that, well, he's hearing voices, he's trying to talk over those voices, and when talking over those voices, he has to yell. >> we wanted to get to know daniel and understand what life is like for a teenager with mental illness. this was day one of eighth grade. >> i'm in middle school, and being bullied is really, really popular over there. and i don't like being bullied and i don't like seeing other people be bullied. >> as it does for many people, stress makes daniel feel worse. at first it goes well, but on day three, an ominous call. >> is there any way that i can

just show up there and wait in the waiting area? i don't want to be driving around with him like that. >> i was hearing voices and all of a sudden i had the urge to cut, so i started cutting with my arm. >> he was cutting himself again. >> he's cut himself multiple times. they have bandaged them up and they felt that maybe it was best that i go get him. >> it ended with a trip to the hospital. daniel stayed for a week. >> how many times has he been hospitalized? >> i think it's been about 20 to 21, 22 times. >> just over a few years. >> mm-hmm. >> that consume your whole life? >> if stephanie seems to take it all in stride, it's because she's seen worse, even worse than you're about to see. [ crying ] help me! please help me! >> what is that like to record

your son? >> it was horrible! what gets me the most are his eyes on the video. he's got these huge, beautiful eyes, and he's just crying and you can just see there in his eyes, it breaks my heart. go away! go away! please, go away! >> that was days before daniel was first diagnosed. stephanie was near a breaking point. >> for a while, i hated him. i could not stand him. i didn't want to look at him, because of everything i've gone through. and it was -- when i stood there, i talked to the baby and realized it was him who i hated, it was his illness. >> it's tough, huh? >> i lost sight of who he was. >> eventually, so did daniel. last year, after a family fight, there were pills, too many of them. daniel tried to take his own life. he was just 13 years old. >> i wanted to die so bad, because i was tired of my life.

and so i did that, and i'm sorry ama i made a poor mistake. and i really, really want you to know that i'll never do that again. >> it's really hard to -- for me to -- >> believe that? >> no, it's not so much that i don't believe that, it's just, it's a trauma that no parent needs to go through. and it's really hard to say, okay, i believe you, because he doesn't understand that -- that for weeks after that, and it still happens, that i worry every day. if there's one thing that i remember the most is him begging the nurses to let him die. that's one of my biggest fears. you okay? it's scary, because one of these days, he's going to get old

enough to where i can't protect him. and you're still having thoughts of killing yourself? >> yeah, like, they're saying like, good job, good job, and some other voice came in, and i was like -- like, do it again, do it again. i'm just trying to get my head straight. >> despite some high-profile cases, the facts are, people with mental illness are more likely to hurt themselves than anyone else. they are more likely to be victims of crime rather than perpetrators. >> every few weeks, i help law enforcement understand what it's like to live with a family member who has a mental illness. >> go away! go away! go away! >> when he was hospitalized, he would call me, and he would tell me, if you don't come tomorrow, i know you're dead. they're telling me they're going to kill you. and it's things like that, you know, nobody knows how that feels. when i think about newtown and

several other shootings that occurred, this would help put in perspective how to approach a mentally ill person. telling my story helps me with acceptance. >> was it open? >> yeah, they opened it. >> i see myself being the person he comes to all the time. he was a really small baby, but he is just, i thought he would be -- i always wanted to be in the mental field and i always wanted to be a doctor. i thought, this guy is going to be my doctor. but there's a part of me that already knows that it may not work that way, you know? and it's something that i've accepted a long time ago. you know, i've accepted that, that he may have to be with me forever. >> your mom is, again, she's such a strong woman. and he loves you so much.

i asked her, i said, people say that one person's love can make all the difference. can your mom's love make all the difference for you? >> mm-hmm. >> you think -- you think she can help shepherd you and get you through this? >> yeah. >> you think you can get married and have your own kids one day and live that life that you image? >> yeah, i want to be like my mom. >> after all they've been through, most of all, daniel wishes that one day he could be just like the mother who loves him so much. >> i just want -- ultimately, i want him to be happy. i really do want him to be happy. and i need him to know that when he's in the dark place, i'm always here. >> you're always there? >> mm-hmm. always. >> you know, in some ways, danielle is doing very well. his illness is more under control. he's taking raeg classes in

school, he's gets bs and cs. even with all of this, he's a smart kid. i spent time with him. but as you also heard from his mom, it's hard to know what the future looks like, what happens down the road. families like daniel's requires a huge amount of support, and there simply isn't enough to go around. one problem i'll tell you, a simple shortage oaf mental health professionals. and now fully half of all psychiatrists don't even take most insurance plans, though there is some positive news in all of this as well. since newtown, 36 states have increased funding for mental health programs. and something called the mental health parody act was recently written into federal law. that means if you do have insurance, it covers mental health care on the same basis as anything else. it's considered an essential health benefit. for example, they can no longer limit you to just 20 visits if, in fact, you need more. we're going to keep an eye on this, see how it plays out and also keep you posted on daniel's story as well. now, i want you to take a look at this video from texas

just this summer. the site of a drunk driving crash that ill ckilled four peo. now, the driver was a drunk 16-year-old kid who got off the hook this week with just a probation sentence. no jail time. how? well, it has to do with how he was raised by his parents. i'll explain it, break it down for you. that's next. ya know, with new fedex one rate you can fill that box and pay one flat rate. how naughty was he? oh boy...

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we had over 180 years of life taken, future life, not 180 years lived, but 180 years of future life taken, and two of those were my wife and daughter. >> an eye-opening story this week, one that certainly caught a lot of people's attention. while driving drunk, 16-year-old ethan couch killed four people on the side of the road, including eric boyles' wife and daughter, as you just heard. couch's blood tested three times the texas legal limit for alcohol. i think what shocked a lot of people was the sentence he got in court this week, which was ten years probation instead of jail. couch's defense, essentially, was that he was spoiled. i'm not a parenting expert, but i am a parent. and i found this surprising, if not shocking.

so i invited psychologist wendy walsh to come chat. wendy, welcome back to the show, first of all. you watched this, i'm sure, like i did, and it seems the judge bought the story from the defense, who said the kid was suffering from after lieu afluenza, like affluent and influenza, like it was a disease, it's not. isn't this outrageous? >> well, it's important to remember there are two things we should consider when thinking about this case. first is the idea of social class. is this a rich guy getting off because his parents can afford it? and the other issue is age. you know, the legal system looks at people under the age of 18 as partly being rehabilitatable, because they have a developing brain. so i think maybe in this case, the legal system looked at this

terrible, terrible tragedy and said, really, what is best for society, for this young 16-year-old to be put in prison, take all our tax dollars for many years, where he will learn great criminal habits, or find a way to reparent him and make something positive of himself in society. it's a tragedy all around, but i think that's how the thinking went. >> this doesn't usually play out in a criminal trial, but are you counseling families who are wrestling with this same sort of dilemma, trying to find out if their child is spoiled, how much is too much? >> yeah, that's the question that parents, especially affluent parents come up with all the time. and on the other flip side, parent who is don't have enough feel somehow they're hurting their children by not being able to glorify them at christmas with lots of consumer goods. i want to remind parents, the most valuable gift you can ever give your child is your time. if you were to interview any child and ask them, could you have ever playstation game for the rest of your life or play board games with the undivided attention of your parents, i'm telling you, they would be much happier with that attention from

their parents. and i think you know that research has shown that consumerism or materialism doesn't actually make people happy. the three things that have been proven statistically to make people happy are, you know, this one, exercise with elevate our mood, altruism, giving back, doing charity work, and more than anything, strong, healthy supportive relationships. that's the key to happiness. >> such an important lesson, i think, especially this time of year, especially that middle one. i think it's always remarkable, simply being a charitable person can just make you feel so good. almost to the point where it's selfish to be charitable, it makes you feel so good. >> exactly. >> always great to have you ton the show. a story that just kind of caught my eye. glad you could comment on the it. you might not want to spoil your kids too much, obviously, but one of the guy's from men's health will be here and he's got great fit gifts for the holidays, for everybody. got that coming up. d drinks that have acids in them that you might not know about. salad dressings, raspberries, strawberries...

they all have acid in them, and it's working at your enamel. once the enamel is gone, it's gone. you can't get it back. i would recommend using pronamel as your regular toothpaste. pronamel will help to re-harden the enamel that is softened by the acids in our daily diets. knowing what i know about pronamel, i use that every day twice a day. and i know that i am protected. yeah it offers stop/start technology and an epa-estimated 36 mpg highway. do you mind... sure, i'm great with kids. [ crying ] yeah. we're next! great... [ both chuckle ] yeah. [ male announcer ] chevy's giving more. this holiday season, chevy's giving more. get this 2014 chevy malibu ls for around $179 a month. ♪

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♪ if you're like me, you may not have started your christmas shopping yet. but we're in the homestretch. time to order the latest and greatest gadgets for your friends and family. it's what i think about this time of year. here to help me is clint carter. senior associate editor from "men's health" magazine. nice to have you here. i. >> i haven't done any of it. looking forward to helping other people sort of get the people in their lives healthier.

new year is coming around, too. holiday time is a great time to help people with that. >> slow start is right if you haven't done any shopping yet. i'm in the same boat. the kind of gifts that i like to give, because i'm interested in health, is stuff that's fun but also potentially going to help people become healthier in the new year. >> exactly. >> we tell people to exercise and eat right. you know what they ask me about, clint, is sleep. they're right to ask me about that because of the importance of that on your overall health. how can technology play a role? >> this is a great one to get, especially for anybody who you share a bed with. what we have is the lark sleep monitor here. what's great about it is you put the monitor on your wrist before you go to bed and then when it's time to wake up, it vibrates you awake. it softly wakes you up. it also has a sensor to monitor the movements you make throughout the night. by doing that, it gives you a good idea of how well you're sleeping. if you wake up feeling tired,

you can make connections to the things that you do before bed. it could be that third glass of winemaking you have a rough sleep. you'll learn that with an app like this. >> it's interesting to get that feedback, again, because you may not feel well the next day but not recognize how much of that was because of a poor night's sleep. one thing, speaking of these types of advises, my wife and i intermittently wear activity trackers, fit bits to track our steps. it's funny. she and i have a competition. we'll text each other through the day. she always does more than me, it's shocking because i think i walk a lot. now they have a scale that measures more than just your weight. >> right. this is the house bathroom scale that nasa would make. it's really smart. on top of getting your weight, it uses really light electrical impulse to measure your body fat percentage. is has that, too. then it connects to your wi-fi and sends all that data to your profile online. you can track the progress, you can set weight loss and body fat goals and then it will give you awards as you reach the goals.

it's just like where you and your wife are competing with each other, you can compete with yourself or up to eight users on one scale. you can have the whole house competing to meet nair personal goals. >> i wonder sometimes, this is just a way it's going to be now. we're going to have all this data coming at us. does it ever get to be too much do you think? >> you know, i think as long as it's not overwhelming you, i think it's important to figure out what data is important to you. if you're trying to lose weight, then that's the data important to you. you don't need all of the data. each one focuses on one thing. another one is a great one is the posture monitor. if you're feeling creek i, achy, this is a great gift to give somebody who has those feelings. because it's like the fitness tracker. it's like the fit bit. it monitors how many steps you take throughout the day, how many calories you're burning, but you wear is around your waist and it gives you a little -- vibrates a little bit

every time you slouch. a lot of people are taking yoga classes to feel better in their own skin. something like this can help give you just that piece of data that you need to make sure that you're feeling good all day long. >> be like my mom. stop slouching. >> stop slouching. >> i'm a sloucher. >> this can get pretty annoying. you sort of slouch in your chair and every time you get that little buzz. maybe it's the right kind of annoying. keeps you from slouching. >> thank you very much, clint carter. i know i got to let you go because you got shopping to do is my guess. >> i do have some shopping to do. >> i'm a big fan of the magazine. thanks for being on. happy holidays to you. >> likewise. thank you. a family's incredible story of survival. you need to hear this. they were in the nevada wilderness. i'm going to tell you what they did right and what you can learn as well from this whole ordeal. w the coal thing was real. it's very real...

david rivera. rivera, david. [ male announcer ] fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex. ♪ [ male announcer ] the parking lot helps by letting us know who's coming. the carts keep everyone on the right track. the power tools introduce themselves. all the bits and bulbs keep themselves stocked. and the doors even handle the checkout so we can work on that thing that's stuck in the thing. [ female announcer ] today, cisco is connecting the internet of everything. so everyone goes home happy. i have a cold with this annoying runny nose. [ sniffles ] i better take something. [ male announcer ] dayquil cold and flu doesn't treat all that. it doesn't? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast-acting antihistamine. oh, what a relief it is!

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the fact that it's mild exposure and dehydration and no long lasting health problems associated with this, i think it's amazing. >> incredible news delivered wednesday morning in nevada. you heard the story. a lost family of six. they were stranded for two days in the snow. very innovative to survive. they warmed rocks in a fire for example. we don't get to tell stories like this nearly enough. but i love it when stories have a happy ending like this one. here's the thing, the family did everything right. and you can too should you ever find yourself in a similar situation. i'm going to give you a few

tips. remember this acronym. cold. keep your clothing clean. if dirty, it can lose insulation effect. avoid overheating or sweating during the day. that can transmit body heat at night making you cooler. wear your clothing loose and in layers to allow heat to build up between the layers and obviously keep your clothing dry. also, if you live in a snowy part of the country, which is a lot of the country now, it's possible you could become stranded, take the time to put together a winter survival kit. i want to show you a few things. you should do this today potentially. a blanket and pillow. then focus in on these objects. make sure you have bottled water in the car, some nonperishable food items like this. high protein sources preferably. waterproof matches. this is very important with how they survived. being able to start a fire. a cell phone that's charged. another important thing that played a role with this family, they could geolocate on the phone and here the pings from the phone. a flashlight and a knife.

you could put together a survival kit like this and that's something that could help you chase life. that's all the time for sgmd. new day sunday begins now with pamela brown and victor black well. still one week until winter and a fast-moving storm is pummeling the northeast, dropping more than a foot of snow. more than 1,000 flights canceled. road crews on high alert and even fedex shipments are facing nationwide delays. >> and the winner is jameis winston, florida state university. >> jameis winston, the greatest college football player of the year. the heisman trophy these days doesn't guarantee an illustrious career in the nfl. we break it down. >>