Not Crazy (Archive): Recent Episodes
Gabe Howard & Jackie Zimmerman
This is the Archive for the old Not Crazy Feed. If you are looking for the current Not Crazy podcast, keep searching or visit psychcentral.com/notcrazy for all the links.
Apple Podcasts link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-crazy/id1510583099
Thank you and enjoy the archives!
Lots of podcasts are hosted by doctors and other mental health professionals. The podcasting space is filled with them because that is who major networks often hire. But who is helping to elevate the patient voice?
Short answer? They're counting on you.
What We Need & What You Get
In order to have a Season 4 (they've done over 100 episodes in the past six years), which will consist of 10 brand spanking new episodes, they need to raise $5,500. This money will only go to the cost of production, hosting, and paying for perks, shipping, and associated fundraising fees. Gabe and Michelle are working for free!
And listen, one of the perks is a 10-minute guest spot on the show. They have a one-of-a-kind exclusive BSP shirt designed by Michelle. There is awesome stuff -- would you expect anything less?
And, of course, you also get 10 more episodes of A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast.
The Impact
People living with mental illness deserve to have the opportunity to share their struggles, feelings, and successes in whatever way feels organic to them. Vulnerability isn't about using the right words or phrases, it's about simply sharing your truth. Gabe and Michelle have been doing that for years and despite rising costs, they have done all they can to continue.
Aside from the impact to the greater mental health community, Gabe and Michelle have shared that this is meaningful to them, as well. As long time listeners of the show know, they have had their ups and down. But just like bipolar disorder, they are always come back to the middle and find each other.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't contribute, we understand but that doesn't mean you can't help!
Please get the word out and make some noise about the campaign Use the Indiegogo share tools and help spread the word Send an email & link and let people know why this is important to you!
Everyone involved with this podcast wants to see it continue. Help get Gabe & Michelle off the street corner and back in front of the microphone. -- where they belong.
To learn more, please visit bsp.show/support.
Visit ThisEmotionalLife.org/bsp to learn more or subscribe RIGHT NOW on your favorite podcast player.
A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast was the first podcast by people with mental illness for people with mental illness. Each episode looks at life through the unique lens of people living with depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.
Its original run ended in 2019 after garnering massive praise in the mental health community and boasting tens of thousands of listeners. Now back for a limited run of 10 episodes with the first episode having launched on January 4th, 2022.
The podcast is hosted by Gabe Howard and Michelle Hammer. Learn more about them here and subscribe or follow on your favorite podcast player. (it’s free!) This podcast is proudly sponsored by Betterhelp. Save 10% on your first month with the discount code “BSP22” or by clicking here.
We are returning for a limited run of 10 episodes with the first episode launching on January 4th, 2022. Episodes weekly through the end of the season.
Our original run ended in 2019 after garnering massive praise in the mental health community and boasting tens of thousands of listeners.
Subscribe on your favorite podcast player or visit thisemotionallife.org/bsp
BSP is hosted by Gabe Howard and Michelle Hammer. Learn more about them here.
A Bipolar, A Schizophrenic, and a Comeback?
In the meantime check out Gabe's book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and Other Observations, at gabehoward.com. He'll sign it for you and throw in some cool swag.
Stay Tuned!
Gabe & Michelle
Please update your subscriptions and links to continue listening to the new Not Crazy podcast with Gabe Howard and his ex-wife, Lisa.
It's the mental health podcast for people who hate mental health podcasts.
Visit psychcentral.com/notcrazy for more information and links to popular podcast players.
This Feed is Closing Down -- to continue listening please resubscribe to the new feed NOW. Grab the new links at* psychcentral.com/notcrazy*... See You There! :) Should people with mental illness have children? In today’s Not Crazy podcast, Gabe and Lisa discuss their own reasons for not having kids, while also giving a platform to Amy Barnabi, a mother of two with bipolar disorder. Amy discusses her decision to have children and shares her experiences, joys and challenges thus far.
What if you can’t be a good parent when your illness flares up? What if the child inherits your diagnosis? If you are a parent with mental illness, you’ve likely heard these questions. Tune in to hear these topics discussed (and much more!) on today’s podcast.
Some of the professionals that work most with helping people with schizophrenia are nurses. There are so many types with different skill sets. Host Rachel Star Withers and Co-host Gabe Howards learn who these often overlooked healthcare workers are. Dr. Tari Dilks, Professor and President of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, joins with insight on what goes into being a psychiatric nurse.
This Feed is Closing Down -- but we wanted to give you a taste of what you are missing! Grab the new links at psychcentral.com/notcrazy
It’s Mental Health Awareness Month! But what does that mean, exactly? Who are we raising awareness for? Is “mental health” the same as “mental illness?” In this Not Crazy Podcast, Gabe and Lisa ponder the meaning of this decades-old campaign and discuss the pros and cons of the movement.
What do you think? Is Mental Health Awareness Month a necessary outreach that sheds light on mental health, or is it a flimsy substitute for actual help? Tune in for an in-depth discussion that entails several different perspectives.
For More Information and a complete transcript, visit Podcast: Deconstructing Mental Health Month.
This Feed is Closing Down -- but we wanted to give you a taste of what you are missing! Grab the new links at psychcentral.com/notcrazy
What if a divorced couple decided to make a podcast about mental health? What would it be like? Well, wonder no more, because here it is. Grab a cup of hot tea and tune in to the first episode of the totally revamped Not Crazy Podcast with Gabe and Lisa, a couple of divorcees who didn’t like each other’s cats.
What was their marriage like? Why do they want to talk about mental health? And what happened to the cats? Find out the answers to these questions and much more on today’s show.
All good things must come to an end. And today is one of those days. In this episode of The Not Crazy Podcast, we say a sad farewell to our amazing cohost, Jackie Zimmerman. Tune in, as Jackie and Gabe reminisce about the good old days, ponder the fate of podcasts, and discuss Jackie’s decision to leave. They also introduce you to Gabe’s new cohost, Lisa, who just happens to be his ex-wife. Yep! You heard that right! Will this divorced duo be an absolute train wreck (as most divorced cohosts would be) or an inspiration to all? You’ll have to stick around to find out.
Join us for a sweet farewell to Jackie and a warm welcome to Lisa. We also give instructions on how you can sign up to hear the new show on the new feed!
For More Information and a complete transcript, visit It’s See You Later, Not Goodbye.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Is your mind constantly preoccupied with the past or the future? What if you could train your brain to just BE in the present moment? This is the essence of mindfulness -- simply being in the here-and-now (not worrying about that stupid thing you said last week), and gently noticing your surroundings and thoughts without judgment. In today’s podcast, Jackie enlightens a skeptical Gabe of the value of practicing mindfulness and how it can be a very useful tool in his mental health tool box. And she’s armed with scientific facts to break him down.
When was the last time you truly listened to the rain, enjoyed a cup of coffee… or stopped to smell the roses? Tune in to hear how mindfulness can help you get rid of the mental static that causes so much anxiety.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Does your anxiety take over when it’s time to leave the house -- making you stay home more often than not? Do you cancel plans at the last minute due to that feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach? Or maybe YOU are the friend that keeps getting canceled on. In today’s podcast, Gabe and Jackie discuss why this happens and how both parties -- the chronic canceler and the chronically disappointed friend -- can navigate this awkward scenario.
Tune in to today’s Not Crazy podcast to get specific tips on how you can feel more in control so you can cancel less.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Do you have difficult -- or even toxic -- family members? How does one go about setting boundaries with them ? And is it OK to cut them off? In today’s Not Crazy podcast, Jackie and Gabe tackle these tough questions with Sonya Mastick, a mental health advocate and fellow podcaster of a show called “What Won’t She Say?” Sonya shares her personal story of how she handled her toxic mom and demonstrates how it’s OK, and sometimes even necessary, to set strong boundaries with family members who hurt you. It’s also OK if those boundaries shift and evolve with time.
Tune in for an honest discussion about protecting your mental health from harmful family members.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Day 1,364 of the COVID-19 quarantine (well, at least it feels like it). How are you holding up? If you’re like most people, you’re not having much fun. But if you already struggle with anxiety, depression or another mental health issue, these days of isolation and uncertainty can feel like absolute torture. In today’s Not Crazy episode, Gabe laments the loss of his routine -- those regular activities he clung to religiously to keep his mental health in check. Now what is he supposed to do?
Tune in for a special quarantine episode. Together, we will grieve our old routines and discuss how to start new ones.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Cannabis, weed, marijuana, pot. It goes by several names, but we all know what it smells like. As weed becomes more mainstream, we on the Not Crazy podcast want to know: Is marijuana really an effective treatment for anxiety? Is it just a coping mechanism? Or a vice? In today’s podcast, Gabe and Jackie look at the research and weigh out the evidence. They also interview Eileen Davidson, a rheumatoid arthritis patient who regularly uses marijuana as a medicine to see what she has to say.
What’s your take? Tune in for an open-minded discussion about weed.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
How are you handling the coronavirus pandemic? Most people are struggling right now, but for those of us with mental illness, these days can feel truly overwhelming. Fear, depression, isolation and loss of routine are just a few of the difficulties many of us are facing. In today’s podcast, Gabe and Jackie discuss what we can do right now to make things just a little better, and they share their personal hopes and fears for humanity once this pandemic subsides.
You’re not alone -- we’re all in this together. Join us for an important discussion on how we can handle this time of fear and uncertainty.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Men and women experience schizophrenia differently; from the age of onset to symptoms and how society treats those with mental disorders.
Schizophrenic, Rachel Star Withers and co-host Gabe Howard continue the discussion of the differences from the last episode but change the focus to men.
Jason Jepson, an author who has schizophrenia joins for a man’s perspective and Dr. Hayden Finch returns to explain the clinical side of the issues.
Do you struggle with abandonment fears? Do you worry your partner will suddenly ditch you even though there’s no real reason to feel this way? In today’s Not Crazy podcast, Gabe opens up about his own deep-rooted fear that his wife will decide she doesn’t want him anymore. After all, he concludes, what does he have to offer her? I mean, surely she can do better. And even though he knows these fears are unfounded and irrational, he feels helpless in stopping them.
How can Gabe get these thoughts under control? Tune in to hear Jackie give some great advice to her dear friend, and for anyone dealing with abandonment issues.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Are people with mental illness more creative? Jackie believes there may be a link between the two ideas, while Gabe thinks it’s just a bunch of hoopla. Get ready -- they’ve both done their research and are ready to back their claims. Tune in to hear a lively (and friendly) debate on whether the science is valid, the difference between inspiration and creativity, as well as their own opinions and experiences on mental illness and creativity.
What’s your take? Join Gabe and Jackie on this Not Crazy podcast to see whose side you’re on, or if you’re somewhere in the middle.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Do you live in constant fear of losing your job because of your illness? What are your options? In this podcast, Jackie and Gabe tackle this complex topic with real answers. They discuss the exact actions you can take in various scenarios, including who to contact for help. They also share their own stories of being fired when their employers deemed them too sick to be productive.
When should you contact human resources? The ADA? A lawyer? If you struggle with mental illness and job insecurity, tune in for an informative discussion on the ins and outs of getting the complicated, and often unfair, American system to work for you.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
The rent is due tomorrow; but then you’ll be left with only $10 for the week's groceries. What do you do? Many people panic over money (or the lack of it), but for those of us with mental illness, it can feel like a life or death situation: It can trigger an even greater anxiety attack and/or depression. Or it may mean not being able to afford the medication that keeps you well enough to work. What can be done?
In this Not Crazy episode, Gabe and Jackie discuss how you can gain a sense of control in these situations, and Jackie shares her own big money scare.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Often we don't really consider gender dynamics in treatment or medication. A lot of medications are only tested on men because of the risk of pregnancy, etc. This means there are whole drugs that have made it to market that may not have ever been tested with women. Schizophrenia affects women in many different ways than men. This episode discusses differences in age, symptoms, treatments, lifestyle, parenthood in the genders as they experience schizophrenia.
Dr. Hayden Finch joins to explain the medical side.
Do you struggle with anger? Did you know that some of our most hot-headed moments are actually rooted in anxiety? In today’s podcast, Jackie openly shares her own fuse-blowing moment when her husband’s keys were (gasp!) missing from the hook, and now she must face being late for therapy and perhaps even lie dying on the side of the road. How did she handle this catastrophic situation her mind so graciously forewarned her about?
Does this sound familiar? Join us as we discuss anxiety-driven anger and explore ways to minimize and possibly even prevent it.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
What’s it like being the spouse of someone with mental illness? In today’s podcast, our hosts Gabe and Jackie invite their beloved spouses, Kendall and Adam, to share what marriage with mental illness is like from their point of view. What issues have the couples run into so far and how did they resolve them? Do they have a safety plan if something goes awry? Is a strong partnership with mental illness even doable?
Tune in to get a glimpse of married life with mental illness and see how both couples support each other through it all.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
America is facing a loneliness epidemic, according to research. But what exactly is loneliness? Is it social isolation? A lack of intimacy? And importantly -- is loneliness a choice? In today’s podcast, Gabe and Jackie tackle these difficult questions and share their own thoughts on loneliness and how it relates to mental health. Gabe also unveils the 7 different types of loneliness -- one of these being “no-animal loneliness.” But is there really such a thing? Jackie is doubtful.
Tune in to hear a thoughtful and nuanced discussion of what it means to be lonely, and see if you can relate to one or more of the 7 types.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Rich celebrity on TV: “Have you ever been sad? You might have depression.” If scenarios like this make you want to throw a rock at a window, you aren’t alone. In today’s episode, Gabe expresses his distaste for celebrities posing as the “face” of mental illness. He feels further validated after watching a satirical episode of BoJack Horseman, in which Mr. Peanutbutter, a cheerful canine celebrity, becomes the new face of depression -- first as a “sad dog” meme and then as a depression spokesperson.
What do you think? Tune in to hear Jackie and Gabe get into a thoughtful discussion on whether celebrities acting as the “face” of mental illness is a good or bad thing.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Comorbidity is the presence of one or more additional conditions co-occurring with a primary condition. In this episode, host schizophrenic Rachel Star Withers with her cohost Gabe Howard will be discussing comorbidity with schizophrenia. Comorbidity is associated with worse health outcomes, more complex clinical management and increased health care costs.
Occupational therapist and host of the podcast Occupied, Brock Cook, will be joining us to discuss ways that he works with people with schizophrenia to manage multiple health issues.
Have you ever been so pissed off, in a state of absolute rage, and said or done something you completely regret later? Many people living with bipolar disorder understand this feeling all too well: At the time, you feel so righteous, so fueled with this powerful Hercules-like energy, so ready to take on your enemy (or the world), only to think later... What in the world was that all about? Yep, in these moments, the angry response tends to far outweigh the initial trigger. In this episode, Gabe and Jackie discuss the blind rage that many people have experienced. They talk about how to deal with it and how it’s OK for you to move on from one of these episodes and not identify with your past. Gabe even shares his own blind rage moment and how he managed to put it behind him (after a mega-apology, of course).
Have you had a blind rage moment? Or know someone who has? Tune in to peek into the mind of a person with an uncontrollable temper.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Sex addict. Nympho. You’ve likely heard these words used for a person with hypersexuality, but what exactly is this condition? Is hypersexuality really a symptom of a mental disorder or is it just a super high libido? Where does one draw the line between liking (or loving) sex and being hypersexual? Is it similar to a drug addiction? Or a binge eating disorder?
Join Gabe and Jackie as they tackle this often misunderstood topic and hear Gabe’s own personal experiences with hypersexuality as a debilitating symptom of his bipolar disorder.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Incontinence While Sleeping -- or "pooping" the bed -- isn’t as uncommon as you may think. While this unexpected night time activity may be embarrassing, it doesn’t have to completely derail your mental health.
There can be many causes for sleeping incontinence but you'll never discover what they are if you're unable to move past the psychological trauma. This week we’re sharing honest, personal experiences discussing how to cope without dying of embarrassment. Listen Now!
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Should we be talking so plainly about suicidal ideation? What are the benefits of assessing our thought patterns over a period of time? Join us as we discuss the Columbia-Suicide Severity Scale screening tool. We tackle this sensitive topic after Jackie was surprised by a suicide assessment at a physician’s office. Rare trigger warning this week for a tough subject, as we explore talking openly about suicidal ideation.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Medication for your brain - whether you’re newly diagnosed or have been in treatment for years, you may have doubts if drugs are right for you. You’re not alone. Jackie and Gabe get real about reasons people want to quit psych meds and why our brains convince us to quit despite the benefits of taking medication. They discuss consequences you may not be aware of from just stopping your meds and why you should always involve your doctors, no matter what your decision, when it comes to medication.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Medication, Therapy, Hospitalization, Electroconvulsive Therapy- what are the treatment strategies for schizophrenia? How do you convince someone they need help? What if someone refuses treatment?
Schizophrenic Rachel Star Withers with co-host Gabe Howard reveal different treatments they have undergone over the years with various outcomes. Guest Barbara Thompson, with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, shares support options for people with schizophrenia and their family in the community.
You’ve just been diagnosed with bipolar disorder… now what? The week we interview a young woman named Emma, a twenty-something who is fresh off a bipolar diagnosis and working hard to navigate her way through finding the right medications, a treatment plan that works, and navigating tough family conversations.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
There is no time more joyous and stressful as the end of year holidays. As we fast approach the holidays this year it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll navigate family parties and other familial obligations. In this episode, we give our best tips for making holiday parties less stressful and how to decide if not going is the best option for you.
It’s rough out there, but we care about you and we wish you a happy, healthy holiday season.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
After receiving two chronic illness diagnosis by the age of 24, it really was no surprise that host Jackie Zimmerman also started to experience depression. Unable to tackle both, Jackie chose to focus on her physical health, letting her mental health deteriorate quickly -- and dangerously. In this episode, we discuss the mind-body connection and how when your body is sick, your mind can quickly follow.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
In part two of this series, we go into more detail about Gabe’s inpatient hospital stay and focus on what he was thinking while he was hospitalized and what he learned after he was discharged. We talked about what to do if you feel like you need to be hospitalized, the steps you need to take in order to be admitted and the obstacles involved with getting the help you may need.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
What exactly is psychosis? What happens in the brain of a person with schizophrenia who is hallucinating?
Schizophrenic Rachel Star Withers shares her personal hallucinations and delusions and Dr. Joseph Goldberg, who specializes in researching what goes on in the brain when someone is experiencing psychosis, joins to break down how the brain functions during psychotic episodes.
Host Rachel Star Withers, a diagnosed schizophrenic, and co-host Gabe Howard delve into these intense subjects in this episode of Inside Schizophrenia.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an inpatient in a psych ward? In this two-part series, we go into detail about Gabe’s inpatient stay starting with the events that lead him to be an inpatient, and what his days were like after he was admitted. We talk about common misconceptions that you may have around what happens while you’re admitted, what your day looks like and who you’d spend time with.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
The feeling of abandonment can span through all types of relationships and in this episode, we focus on friendships. Have you ever had a close friend abandon you or have you ever exited a friendship without notice? The emotions and actions surrounding the abandonment of friends can be complex and hurtful, but they are very real and can hurt deeply.
In this episode, Jackie recounts friendships that were very important to her and how she’s handling the loss of them.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
While therapy is often used as one method of treatment for mental illness, it still has a large cloud of mystery around it. Due to its portrayal in movies and television shows, there are a lot of misconceptions about what it means to go to therapy, what a session looks like and what the benefits to therapy can be.
In this episode, we talk about some of the common myths surrounding therapy, touch on the different types of therapy and why Jackie loves therapy so much.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Each Halloween we encounter the same debate: are haunted asylums stigmatizing or are they simply entertainment? While some may think haunted asylums are tasteless at worst, they don’t feel like they’re an actual detriment to the mental illness community. In this episode, we look at this argument from both sides and really dig into what happens when we use mental illness as a theme for entertainment. While Jackie and Gabe both make great arguments, we toss this question back to you.
Are you offended by haunted asylums and do you feel like they harm our community? Listen now!
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Psychiatric medications are the religion and politics of the mental health advocacy world -- don't bring them up unless you want a fight to break out. Luckily, here at Not Crazy, we don't shy away from confrontation.
In this episode, we cover the good, the bad, and the ugly surrounding medications. Like whether or not you should take them. We tackle side effects like feeling numb and sexual dysfunction and share our personal histories with medication therapy. Listen now!
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
The word "schizophrenia" tends to conjure ideas of hallucinations, delusions, insane asylum in the general public's mind. Most people don't think of the boring parts that consume many with schizophrenia, like lacking the motivation to get out of bed, to make friends...
Host Rachel Star Withers, a diagnosed schizophrenic, and co-host Gabe Howard discuss avolition and ways to help motivate loved ones in this episode of Inside Schizophrenia. Family Counselor Ms. Breen joins to share ways to sort through dilemmas. And Rachel does an experiment on her own to address her lack of motivation in being social.
Did the movie Joker portray mental illness correctly and does it matter? We passionately go over the movie Joker from the lense of people living with mental illness and discuss whether or not there are implications of making a movie like this. Does it help us or hurt us? What if it does both? Listen in to hear Gabe’s freakishly good recollection of scenes from the movie as Jackie struggles to separate entertainment from reality.
Spoiler Alert: You don’t need to see Joker to appreciate this conversation but we do go over the plot and reveal some important scenes from the movie.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Are you so happy that you can’t understand depression? Not us! While Gabe and Jackie can't relate to that level of positivity, there are lots of people in the world who simply can’t fathom what depression feels like. Despite their best efforts, naturally happy people can have a hard time understanding depression and in Episode 2, we discuss how to explain depression to happy people, including both of our spouses who are, to be honest, annoyingly peppy. We give tips on how to approach the topic and share our own personal experiences of having this hard-to-understand conversation.
Find us online at:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Gabe also hosts The Psych Central Podcast available on your favorite podcast player or by visiting psychcentral.com/show.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare and patient community building.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
In the first full episode of Not Crazy, we learn a little more about the new co-host, Jackie, and her history with chronic illness and depression. Gabe rants about person-first language and how nitpicking verbiage is distracting from more pressing matters in the lives of those living with mental illness. Overall, we decide that “crazy” is not a dirty word and there are other, more time-sensitive, things we should be focusing on that can benefit the mental health community.
https://psychcentral.com/blog/notcrazy/
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare and patient community building.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
One show ends and another begins. Don't unsubscribe just yet!
In the final episode of A Bipolar, A Schizophrenic and a Podcast, Gabe and Michelle reminisce on past episodes, and Michelle tells us what her plans are for the future. Later, Michelle gives some words of wisdom to Gabe’s new co-host, Jackie Zimmerman. We get to know Jackie and discuss how Gabe and Jackie will be taking over BSP, but with a slightly new direction and a new name, which will be released in next week’s episode!
About The Hosts
Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.
Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare and patient community building.
You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Everyone complains about work. Having to go to work every day, working too much, not getting paid enough- working can be challenging for so many reasons. Today's episode of Inside Schizophrenia focuses on working while having schizophrenia.
Host Rachel Star Withers, a diagnosed schizophrenic, and co-host Gabe Howard share antidotes from their own work lives and speak with fellow schizophrenic Michelle Hammer. Michelle, an award-winning graphic designer and entrepreneur, discusses her struggles working full time and transitioning to working for herself. Cheryl Wallace the Vice President of Programs at Rose Hill Center, a psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation center, also joins this episode and speaks about how Rose Hill facilitates programs to help people with schizophrenia rejoin the workforce after a psychotic episode.
Schizophrenia does not just affect the person with schizophrenia, but their families, also. This episode of Inside Schizophrenia explores the family relationships impacted by schizophrenia, both immediate and extended.
Two guests join us. The first is Chrisa Hickey, who is the mother of an adult son with schizophrenia and started an online site for parents of children who have a severe mental illness. The other guest, interviewed by co-host Gabe Howard, is Janel Star Withers, mother of host Rachel Star Withers. Janel shares her experiences with raising a schizophrenic daughter.
Host Rachel Star Withers, a diagnosed schizophrenic, and co-host Gabe Howard delve into these intense subjects in this episode of Inside Schizophrenia.
In this episode, our hosts discuss how the amount of money and resources a person has influences their mental health care. Listen now to hear how Gabe and Michelle tackle this difficult social discussion -- and have a couple laughs along the way.
“It’s so hard to get help with mental illness if you have no money, and that’s not ok.” - Michelle Hammer
Highlights from ‘Money and Mental Illness’ Episode [1:00] How does money impact people with mental illness?
[3:00] Michelle’s epiphany on the subway.
[5:30] The difference between mental health and physical health.
[9:30] Insurance and the price of psychiatric medications.
[15:00] Michelle’s past job failures.
[18:30] Disability: does it help people?
[22:00] How can you recover from mental illness when you can’t afford healthcare?
[27:30] Michelle and other people living with schizophrenia in NYC.
In this episode, our hosts discuss whether or not mental illness is a real disorder or if it's just something that medical and pharmaceutical companies just made up to make a profit.
Highlights from ‘Mental Illness Made Up?’ Episode
[2:00] Is mental illness real?
[4:00] Yoga doesn’t cure all mental illnesses, just like it wouldn’t cure cancer.
[16:00] Dealing with people who think mental illness is not real.
[19:30] Eating disorders are such a stigmatized mental illness.
[20:00] Cigarettes used to be a health food (true story!).
[27:00] You can still live a great life with a mental illness.
It’s common knowledge that psychiatric medications are prone to sexual side effects. It’s often referenced in the advertising. Since most people living with mental illness want to be both happy and have a satisfying sex life, this creates a bit of a quandary
Are the two things mutually exclusive? What does a person on psychiatric medications do when the cure seems worse than the illness? Listen in to find out now!
Highlights from ‘Medication Sexual Side Effects” Episode
[1:25] Let’s talk about masturbation.
[4:00] The frustrations of psychiatric medications and our sex lives.
[10:00] How to resolve sexual side effects.
[13:30] Gabe’s unmedicated sex drive versus his current sex drive.
[17:00] Should you talk to your partner about sexual issues caused by medication?
[19:30] Michelle says, women should not be embarrassed to talk to their doctors about sexual side effects.
[22:00] Women vs. men when it comes to handling sexual issues.
Since time was invented, people have fallen into three main categories: Chronically early, on-time, or late. You don’t need mental illness to put things off until the last minute and it doesn’t take anxiety to get things done well ahead of schedule.
But, there’s also no denying that living with mental illness can – and does – impact our ability to be punctual and to accomplish goals. In this episode, Gabe and Michelle discuss the difference between putting things off because we are making bad choices and putting things off because of mental health issues. Listen now!
Highlights from ‘Procrastination’ Episode
[0:30] How much do we procrastinate?
[2:00] Medication to blame?
[7:30] Being accountable.
[11:00] Life is distracting.
[14:00] Gabe and Michelle’s strengths vs. weaknesses.
[18:30] A metaphor is used. . .
In this episode of Inside Schizophrenia our hosts tackle the topic of early onset – or childhood – schizophrenia. Host Rachel Star discusses her personal experiences with symptoms as an adolescent and Dr. Joseph Gonzalez-Heydrich from Harvard Medical School discusses some of the latest research. Listen in now!
Bonus Content - Visit PsychCentral.com/IS to learn more about the Inside Schizophrenia Podcast.
From leisure activities to politics to relationships, people tend to be influenced by their religious beliefs. In this episode, Gabe and Michelle discuss the pros and cons of religious influence when it comes to treating mental illness and explore whether it is helpful when trying to reach recovery.
Highlights from ‘Religion and Mental Illness’ Episode
[2:00] The intersection of religion and mental illness.
[4:30] How the Jewish faith views mental illness.
[10:00] How Christianity views mental illness.
[16:00] Do all religions accept people with mental illness?
[20:00] Is spirituality a valid treatment option?
Myths spring up about everything that is misunderstood – and mental illness is one of the most misunderstood things out there. People are equal parts fascinated by and terrified of it, seemingly at the same time. In this episode, our hosts take a look at some myths about living with schizophrenia and even tackle the most common one – are schizophrenics violent?
Highlights from ‘Myths of Mental Illness’ Episode
[2:00] What are some myths about schizophrenia?
[4:00] Does schizophrenia have anything to do with split personalities?
[5:30] Mental illness and violence.
[7:00] Are schizophrenics ruining society?
[17:00] What is it like to live with schizophrenia?
[20:00] What can we do instead of blaming mentally ill people?
Hosted by Gabe Howard and Michelle Hammer.
As a society, we suffer from low self-esteem. A lot. The entertainment media assaults us with beautiful faces and perfect bodies, making millions feel inadequate or even ashamed. We have school children who feel that anything less than straight A’s is failure. For people living with mental illness, the impact of low self-esteem is even worse. Listen to hear how.
Highlights from ‘Self-Esteem’ Episode
[3:30] Why do we feel bad about our bodies?
[7:00] Michelle used to be a photo retoucher. It’s all fake!
[9:30] We usually celebrate with food.
[14:30] Michelle’s Mom encouraged her to play sports to help her mental health.
[18:00] Physical health is important when it comes to mental health.
[22:00] Is hating yourself a mental health issue?
Does anxiety keep you from living the best life possible? Do you feel that you are nervous all the time? Are you not sure the difference between anxiety, worry, and paranoia? Want some suggestions on how to cope?
Listen in as our hosts discuss all this – and more – on this week’s episode of A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast.
Highlights from ‘Anxiety & Paranoia’ Episode
[1:00] What’s the difference between anxious, nervous and paranoid?
[3:00] Michelle explains her delusions -- which stem from anxiety.
[5:00] Night time is when anxiety is worst for Gabe.
[10:00] What is paranoia? Is it anxiety induced?
[14:30] Does Michelle get anxious selling her clothing line Schizophrenic.NYC on the streets of NYC?
[20:00] Gabe can’t help but see the worst in his speech evaluations.
[23:00] Nerves can be good sometimes.
An in-depth look at violence and its relation to schizophrenia. Is violence a symptom of schizophrenia? Do mass attackers always have schizophrenia? Are schizophrenics dangerous?
Studies say people with schizophrenia are more likely to be a victim of a crime than the perpetrator. However, James Holmes, the movie theater mass murderer, was said to have paranoid schizophrenia. And a person can plead not guilty by reason of insanity in court. This seems to be contrary to the idea of non-violence in mental illness.
Host Rachel Star Withers, a diagnosed schizophrenic, and co-host Gabe Howard delve into these intense subjects in this episode of Inside Schizophrenia.
Officer Rebecca Skillern, the senior trainer within the mental health division of the Houston Police Department, joins as a special guest to explain police protocol in answering crisis emergencies and what people with schizophrenia, and their loved ones, should do when an episode puts someone in danger.
Highlights
[01:48] “Have you ever killed anyone?”
[03:21] Stigma is not knowing.
[07:10] Consequences of people finding out you have schizophrenia.
[14:22] Not guilty by reason of insanity.
[17:33] Paranoid schizophrenia and mass attackers.
[24:00] Have I ever been violent due to my schizophrenia?
[25:30] Guest interview with Officer Rebecca Skillern.
[27:22] How is a mental crisis team response different than a typical police response?
[31:00] What to do if I need help for a mental health crisis.
[43:55] During a mental health crisis, what do I want to happen?
[46:00] Confusion and fear during an episode.
Kanye West’s interview about living with bipolar disorder has recently made the media rounds. Mr. West speaks about not liking medication, about mania being a creative outlet, and the career edge he believes he has because of living with mental illness.
Suffice to say, whenever someone gains an audience by speaking about living with bipolar disorder, our hosts are going to take notice. Do they agree with Mr. West? Listen now to find out.
Highlights from ‘Kanye West Bipolar’ Episode
[1:00] Kanye West’s interview on ‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.’
[4:00] David Letterman tells his story about mental illness.
[12:00] What is Akathisia?
[19:00] Talking about bipolar mania.
[22:00] Should we take mental health advice from famous people?
This podcast strives to accomplish many things: we hope to be entertaining and educational, and we hope to make our listeners think about their own lives -- or about the life of someone they know who lives with mental illness.
There is, however, an easier way to describe this podcast. It’s an advocacy effort led by two people who are award-winning advocates nationally. In this episode, our hosts each tell three stories about their mental health advocacy work. Two of them are true and one of them is a lie. Is truth stranger than fiction? You decide. Listen Now!
Highlights from ‘Mental Illness Advocacy’ Episode
[1:45] WebMD said Michelle is a professional.
[4:20] Gabe was spit on for handing out a pamphlet.
[5:44] Michelle is unprepared for advocacy.
[7:40] Gabe gets slapped in the face.
[12:00] Don’t speak Michelle – mental illness speech.
[15:00] Gabe oversleeps for a mental health advocacy event.
[20:00] Which stories are true and which ones are fake?
Everyone is subject to interacting with police – whether one has a mental illness or not. The police, of course, are there to keep us safe and enforce the rule of law. However, when you live with mental illness, police have another function: first responder. In this episode, Gabe & Michelle discuss how people living with mental illness feel about the role of police in our care. Listen Now!
Highlights from ‘Police’ Episode
[2:50] The story of Pamela Turner, a schizophrenic woman shot by police officers in Texas.
[5:30] The story of Debra Danner, a schizophrenic woman shot by police in the Bronx.
[7:00] Gabe helps train police officers.
[10:40] Is there a better way for police officers to help people with mental illness?
[16:00] It’s an Us vs. Them mentality.
[18:30] Politicians don’t seem to want to help the mentally ill people they blame for gun violence.
[21:00] Should mental health care be free for the greater good?
What is schizophrenia? What are the symptoms? What’s it like to experience it? How is it managed? The answers depend on who you ask. Pop culture has one view. Doctors have another. And Rachel Star Withers has a first-person experienced view. In this first episode of Inside Schizophrenia, Dr. Ali Mattu joins Rachel and co-host Gabe Howard to explore this often misrepresented illness and how social media is changing the way it’s viewed.
Having children is a deeply personal choice and one that should not be taken lightly. Ensuring that you are financially able, emotionally stable, and mature enough to withstand the rigors of parenting is something that every person must do. All that said, how does one factor their own mental illness concerns into the decision?
Should people like Gabe and Michelle – one who lives with bipolar and the other, schizophrenia – have children? Is the risk of passing on the burdens of mental illness too great of a risk? Does having mental illness mean you can’t be a good parent? Where is the line?
Our hosts discuss all this and more in this episode of A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and Podcast.
Highlights from ‘Kids’ Episode
[00:30] Gabe and Michelle discuss having children.
[3:00] What did Gabe decide about bringing children into the world?
[7:00] Does Michelle think she can take care of a kid?
[9:00] Gabe is a loop-hole grandpa.
[12:30] Gabe was told he couldn’t babysit his friends’ kids because he is bipolar.
[18:20] Gabe teaches his 4-year-old niece about mental illness.
[21:00] What did Michelle decide about bringing children into the world?
Throughout our lives, we are inspired by many people, from our parents to our teachers to celebrities to great thinkers of the past and present. And sometimes, we find ourselves being an inspiration for others. Also, sometimes, this fact surprises us. In this episode, Gabe and Michelle talk about both being inspired by others and how it feels to be an inspiration to others.
Highlights from ‘Inspiration’ Episode
[00:30] Is Michelle amazing?
[3:30] Is Gabe an inspiration?
[7:00] Gabe is more organized than Michelle.
[9:00] But, what is success?
[12:00] Nobody wants to hear about hockey.
[14:00] Awesome social media swag.
[18:00] Gabe’s hero wasn’t really that great.
[19:00] Recovery doesn’t mean 100% symptom free.
[22:00] Don’t compare yourself to others.
Most people suffer from certain social anxieties. Just the idea of speaking in front of a crowd can make otherwise confident people break into a nervous sweat. Fear of rejection is also very common in society… just ask any teenager who’s too afraid to ask out their crush. In this episode, Gabe and Michelle talk about these common feelings from the perspective of having additional mental illness thrown in, creating a blend that is no one’s favorite.
Highlights from ‘Social Anxiety’ Episode
[2:00] Where are you from?
[4:30] Social anxiety and the big city.
[8:00] Talking to important people is scary.
[10:30] Overthinking your whole day when you go to sleep at night.
[12:30] Delusions about the past.
[16:00] How can you be content with the past?
[18:00] Putting rejection in your own control.
[23:30] Google says people of our ages shouldn’t have social anxiety, anymore.
[24:00] How we get rid of anxiety and public speak!
Not getting enough sleep impacts every single person. It makes us irritable, slows our reflexes, and reduces our ability to think and reason. When a person is sick or suffering from an illness, getting more sleep is beneficial to the healing process.
Mental Illness is no different. You will benefit from regular sleep. In today’s episode, we talk about sleep hygiene – what it is and why it is important. Trust us, if anyone can make a discussion about sleep engaging, it’s Gabe and Michelle. Listen Now.
Highlights from ‘Sleeping Mental Illness’ Episode
[0:30] Let’s talk about sleep hygiene.
[3:00] Good sleep, bad sleep, and more sleep.
[9:15] Sleeping and waking up with psych meds.
[13:00] Kanye West makes an appearance. . . oy vey.
[17:00] Resetting your sleep cycle.
[19:00] Should you tell your doc if you are having trouble sleeping?
[21:00] The dangers of book lights.
Self-care is important for everyone, but our hosts feel it is extra important for people managing mental illnesses and other mental health issues. It stands to reason that, if you don’t take care of yourself, then the symptoms of an illness will have an easier time making our lives miserable.
In this episode, our hosts discuss what self-care is, what self-care isn’t, and what they personally do to care for themselves. Listen now!
Highlights from ‘Mental Health Self-care’ Episode
[2:00] What do Gabe and Michelle do for self-care?
[6:30] Why did Gabe and Michelle start a podcast?
[11:30] Why does Michelle watch “fail” videos?
[13:30] Gabe loves fidget spinners and believes they help with his self-care.
[17:00] Watching Jeopardy is an example of self-care.
[19:00] Michelle + Gabe + The Peoples’ Court = group self-care.
[22:00] Who thinks watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the BEST self-care?
[23:00] Is personal hygiene an example of self-care?
Even if we live with mental illness, ourselves, we can be frustrated when we don’t know how to help a friend or family member who’s dealing with it. We may find that coping skills that work for us may not work for someone else. Medications that work for us may not work for the other person. In this episode, Gabe and Michelle discuss how to help friends with mental illness, including the help available through caregivers, medication, and more.
Highlights from ‘Helping a friend with mental illness’ Episode
[1:00] Fun stereotypes.
[4:20] Gabe reads a letter from a listener.
[6:30] How can you help a friend who is struggling with mental illness?
[7:30] What’s up with caregivers?
[9:30] How can you help yourself during a manic phase?
[13:30] How can psych meds help?
[22:00] When are we not okay?
Everyone has bad habits. Even your sainted Granny who seems perfect to you has some bad habit that only your grandfather knows about. Bad habits, like everything, exist on a spectrum, from biting your nails to snorting cocaine – and everything in between.
In this episode, our hosts discuss bad habits that many people with mental illness seem to have - from smoking, to alcoholism, to drug use and, you guessed it, everything in between.
Highlights from ‘Bad Habits Mental Illness’ Episode
[0:30] Talking vices and bad habits: What are they?
[3:00] Gabe’s vice is something people don’t expect.
[8:00] Are vices okay?
[9:00] Michelle and her worst habit.
[12:30] How do bad habits help people?
[16:30] Michelle’s other vice that people hate.
[17:45] Vices, like everything, exist on a spectrum.
[18:30] How can you overcome a bad habit?
Hypersexuality is a very common symptom of bipolar mania and a potential symptom of schizophrenia, as well. Both Gabe and Michelle have experienced being hypersexual, but because of their ages and genders, it manifested itself in different ways.
However, their personal differences aside, there is one thing that both our hosts completely agree on. . . Listen now to find out.
Highlights from ‘Hypersexuality’ Episode
[1:40] What is the correct definition of hypersexuality?
[4:30] The history of sex as we understand it.
[6:45] Why hypersexuality is not a good thing.
[10:00] Being hypersexual in the digital age.
[12:30] Gabe & Michelle explain Sex Bingo.
[16:30] Is hypersexuality a compulsion, like addiction?
[22:00] It’s important to have sex safe, no matter what.
Once we reach recovery from mental illness, we tend to dwell on the mistakes of our past. Thoughts of failures and people we’ve hurt ruminate inside our head and make it difficult to move forward.
Why do we think about these things? Does it protect us, make us feel better, or is it way to keep us from moving forward? In this episode our hosts discuss their past failures in the hopes it allows our listeners to realize living in the past only really accomplishes one thing . . .
Highlights from ‘Ruminations’ Episode
[2:00] We are talking about ruminations today
[4:30] Ruminations feed delusions
[6:00] Gabe dwells on his past wives
[8:20] Michelle ruminates about how her brother treated her in the past
[11:00] Gabe tried to set up his brother to get in trouble
[13:00] We want Michelle to make amends with her brother
[18:00] Why ruminating is detrimental to your health.
[19:30] Gabe dwells about his biological father
[21:00] Why can’t we just get over things and move on?
In general, people with mental illness aren’t perfectly fine one day and suddenly symptomatic the next. It often feels that way to people with bipolar, depression, and schizophrenia, but many of us realize once we reach recovery that the warning signs were there all along.
Highlights from ‘Warning Bipolar Schizophrenia’ Episode
[1:00] March 30th is World Bipolar Day!
[2:30] What are some of the warning signs of mental illness?
[5:00] Will supplements and exercise fix everything?
[7:45] Michelle’s huge red flag that she had schizophrenia.
[12:15] The red flags that Gabe has bipolar disorder.
[14:00] Why our hosts didn’t get any help when they were younger.
[18:30] The obvious warning signs of schizophrenia that Michelle’s college roommates noticed.
[22:00] Common symptoms of bipolar and schizophrenia.
[24:00] Everybody goes to therapy.
Most people understand how doctors and therapists work, but many people can’t quite wrap their minds around support groups – especially peer-led ones. In this episode, our hosts dissect different types of support groups to make them better understood and more accessible. Listen Now!
Highlights from ‘Mental Illness Support Groups’ Episode
[1:00] Let's talk about support groups.
[3:00] Fountain House in NYC is awesome!
[6:00] Why it’s great to be around like-minded people.
[8:00] Support groups in hospitals.
[12:00] Peer-run support groups, hints and tips.
[18:00] Gabe became a support group facilitator — what does that mean?
[25:00] Sometimes people come to support groups just to listen.
[26:00] Gabe and Michelle recommend support groups to listen and share.
[28:00] Don’t like your support group? You can find another!
Suicide is something that most people think they understand, but there are many misconceptions about it. We say it’s a serious problem, yet will mention it casually and insensitively in certain settings. In this episode, our hosts openly discuss suicide and their personal stories with trying to end their own lives.
Highlights from ‘Suicide’ Episode
[1:00] Frankly discussing suicide.
[3:00] Don’t belittle a person’s suicide attempt.
[7:00] Why did Michelle try to end her life?
[10:00] Discussing families and suicide.
[12:00] Why did Gabe try to end his life?
[16:30] Michelle shares her suicide story.
[23:00] Michelle can’t understand how her mom did not know she had a mental illness.
[27:00] Gabe and Michelle agree that things get better.
We often use actual mental illnesses to describe behaviors that don't actually qualify. For example, if a friend thinks they failed a test, we might jokingly say, "Stop being paranoid." But what is real paranoia? What does it feel like? What can be done about it? In this episode, Michelle talks about her life with, and without, paranoia.
Highlights from ‘Paranoia’ Episode
[1:00] Michelle discusses when her paranoia started.
[4:00] The most amazing thing that Michelle could finally do: nap.
[7:00] Paranoia or scared of society?
[8:40] How did Michelle realize she was paranoid?
[10:30] How did Michelle stop being paranoid?
[15:30] Taking criticism and not caring.
[17:30] Michelle still gets offended on occasion.
[20:30] Seeing success in our future.
We all realize that movies are fiction, but that doesn't mean that we should take nothing seriously. When a movie makes a portrayal of an individual, for example, that's full of racial stereotypes, we're justified in saying that it isn't okay. It's no different for portrayals of mental illness. In this episode, Gabe and Michelle discuss just such a portrayal in a movie that Michelle found highly offensive. Listen to see if you agree.
Highlights from ‘Triggering Movie’ Episode
[1:00] Michelle has been triggered by an 8-year-old movie called “The Roommate.”
[5:00] Why this movie makes no sense.
[6:30] How Gabe and Michelle handle talking about meds.
[10:00] Why did this movie make Michelle feel so offended?
[12:00] Why this movie is bad for the mental health system.
[16:30] Movies that show mental illness in a good way.
[19:00] How people interpret movies with mentally ill characters.
[20:00] Gabe is obsessed with Michelle’s cock ring.
Panic attacks have a way of popping up at the most inconvenient times – like when you are recording a podcast. In this episode, Gabe has a panic attack in front of the microphone and decides that the silver lining is showing listeners that even someone in recovery has symptoms.
Listen in to this episode to learn about panic attacks and see if Gabe makes it out okay. (Spoiler alert: He’s fine.)
Highlights from ‘Panic Attack Live’ Episode
[2:30] Gabe is having a panic attack and we recorded it.
[4:00] What caused this panic attack?
[7:40] Gabe’s history of panic attacks.
[11:00] Why does Gabe know so much about his own illness?
[12:50] Michelle’s presence and this show make Gabe stressed out.
[18:00] Is public opinion a stressor?
[25:00] Symptoms don’t entirely go away, even with meds.
Valentine’s Day comes but once a year and is experienced in different ways depending on your age, gender, or whether or not you are in a relationship. Not surprisingly, mental health status plays a role in the way this holiday is experienced, as well.
Listen in as our hosts play the ever-popular Two Truths and a Lie to describe all they went through being depressed while dating.
Highlights from ‘Bipolar, Schizophrenia, Depression, and Valentine’s Day’ Episode
[1:25] We are playing Two Truths and a Lie - Valentine’s Day edition
[2:40] Michelle’s 1st story, “Alabama Stigma”
[6:10] Gabe’s 1st story, “High-school Dating Suicide”
[10:00] Michelle’s 2nd story, “The true story that Michelle told already”
[11:44] Gabe’s 2nd story, “Married Chick”
[17:00] Michelle’s 3rd story, “Break up Because Michelle Bad Mom”
[18:50] Gabe’s 3rd story, “Stupid Mother”
[23:00] The guessing begins!
A mental illness diagnosis doesn’t mean you can’t date or make new friends. It does mean – at some point -- that you need to tell all the new people in your life that you’re living with depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, or whatever your mental health concerns are.
In this episode, our hosts discuss telling the new people in our lives about our health issues – including the people they’ve dated.
Highlights from ‘Mental Illness, Friends, Love Interests’ Episode
[2:20] Being public and vocal about mental illness.
[3:30] What is the right (and wrong) way to tell people you have a mental illness?
[4:00] How soon is too soon? How late is too late?
[7:00] Michelle shares her story of telling romantic partners.
[11:30] We discuss when would we not share our diagnosis.
[15:30] Some people don’t believe we have mental illnesses.
[18:30] If we talk more about mental illness, people will understand it more.
[20:30] People should still respect your boundaries when it comes to mental illness.
[23:30] Michelle’s friends all knew she was schizophrenic before she was diagnosed.
While depression is a common mental health issue, it’s not even close to being the most common. Listen in to hear our hosts discuss how loneliness can make a person feel unwanted and uncared for – even if they are standing in a crowded room.
Highlights from ‘loneliness’ Episode
[0:30] Loneliness kills more people than depression.
[3:30] Michelle explains loneliness she has experienced.
[5:20] Gabe explains loneliness he has experienced.
[8:00] We always bring up our moms – so why stop now?
[16:30] What can help people feel less lonely?
There is an assumption among many Americans that doctors are pretty darn smart and always know what they’re talking about. Psychiatrists work with the mentally ill, so they are certainly smarter than their patients. Because, after all, their patients are “crazy.” Right?
In this episode, our hosts discuss all the times that psychiatrists and therapists didn’t live up to the hype – or stereotype.
Highlights from ‘Psychiatrists and Therapists Questions’ Episode
[1:00] What is the strangest thing a psychiatrist has ever said to Michelle about her illness?
[6:00] What is the strangest thing a therapist has ever said to Gabe about his illness?
[17:00] Michelle’s first psychiatrist was . . . not great.
[19:30] Gabe once had a legal issue with a therapist.
[26:30] What you should do if you’re dealing with a bad psychiatrist and/or therapist.
Most of us are to blame for our failures, believe it or not. We didn’t practice enough, plan ahead, or work hard enough. If we are honest, we could have done more to succeed, but something stopped us. In this episode, our hosts, Gabe and Michelle discuss why people sabotage their own success and fess up to whether or not they are sabotaging their own.
Highlights from ‘Self-Sabotage’ Episode
[2:00] Do we sabotage ourselves?
[3:00] Some reasons for self-sabotage.
[6:30] Private rejection vs. public rejection.
[11:30] Failure and self-sabotage.
[17:30] As is our way, our mothers come up.
[19:00] Working hard and yet not succeeding.
[20:00] How do you stop self-sabotaging?
Psychiatric medication gets a bad rap when it isn’t deserved, while simultaneously being seen by some as the end-all treatment for people living with mental illness. Our hosts both need their prescribed medication to live well, and that makes people around them ask questions ― some of which are weirder than others.
Tune in to this episode to hear what they have to say.
Highlights from ‘Meds’ Episode
[1:00] What happens when Gabe and Michelle don’t take their medications.
[4:00] People just love to ask us for our medications.
[8:00] Stigma from medical professionals.
[14:00] Please don’t buy pills from people to self-medicate.
[16:30] Michelle’s medication journey.
[19:00] Which works better: treadmill, yoga, or medication?
[21:00] Anxiety of the day makes it hard to get up in the morning.
[24:00] Gabe and Michelle both admit to stigmatizing themselves about their own medications.
Just because your living with mental illness, doesn’t mean you don’t believe in all the weird superstitious customs our society loves so much. In this episode our hosts discuss their hopes for the new year, the resolutions they made, and how to have a good 2019 in spite of living with bipolar or schizophrenia.
Listen in now!
Highlights from ‘Bipolar & Schizophrenic New Year’s Resolutions’ Episode
[1:00] What are a Michelle and Gabe doing For the New Year?
[3:00] What are our New Year’s resolutions?
[9:00] Personal opinions on New Year’s resolutions
[14:30] Gabe and Michelle pick resolutions for each other (hilarity ensues)
[21:00] Should we thank people from the past?
[23:00] What are some nice things we can do for ourselves?
“I’m in recovery from mental illness,” is a common phrase in our circles. Sure, mental illness is replaced with the specifics – schizophrenia, bipolar, or depression, to name a few – but the idea that people consider themselves to be living a life free from the symptoms of mental illness is a common one. However, is it true? Is recovery actually a thing? Or are all these people just deluding themselves?
Gabe and Michelle discuss this – and more – on this episode of A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast.
Highlights from ‘Recovery’ Episode
[1:40] Are Michelle and Gabe in recovery?
[4:30] What is recovery and where did that term come from?
[7:00] Should we be policing language or context surrounding mental illness?
[11:00] What’s all the fuss over person first language?
[16:30] Why do we think people dislike the word “recovery”?
[19:00] What word should we use instead, if not “recovery”?
Resident schizophrenic, Michelle Hammer, is a different person when she first wakes up. Before taking her psychiatric medications, she isn’t as coherent, engaged, or energetic as we are accustomed to her being. For this episode – in a controlled environment – Michelle speaks with Gabe before taking her morning psychiatric medications so she can give the audience a small glimpse of how she feels when she starts each day.
Listen in to this episode of A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast now!
Highlights from ‘Schizophrenic Before Medication’ Episode
[0:30] Recording first thing before Michelle (schizophrenic) has taken her psychiatric medicine.
[2:00] Michelle answers a list of questions from Gabe.
[8:00] Gabe explains to listeners how Michelle is behaving while off her medications.
[09:50] Show is paused and resumes after time has passed; Michelle has now taken her meds.
[12:00] Michelle answers more questions from Gabe – this time, medicated.
[15:00] How does Michelle feel about the ‘off med’ recordings?
[19:00] Michelle has confidence in her recovery, but still has feelings.
Those of us with mental illness are asked many questions about our feelings. For a lot of us, the most difficult one to answer is, “Are you happy?” It’s a difficult question to answer because happiness isn’t an easily defined concept.
Most people assume that in order to be in recovery from mental illness a person must be happy. But is that really the case?
Listen in to this episode to hear our thoughts on happiness, regret, and even a side story about Gabe’s first marriage.
Highlights from ‘Happiness’ Episode
[1:00] Gabe & Michelle discuss happiness and mental illness.
[3:30] The most annoying questions we have ever been asked.
[5:00] Gabe’s story of never being satisfied with his life.
[10:00] What makes Michelle unhappy.
[12:00] What makes Gabe unhappy.
[17:00] Do people try to ruin our happiness? – A discussion.
[19:00] Michelle says she has confidence – but does she?
[23:00] Dealing with mental illness and negativity.
Living with mental illness means accepting that some things are out of our control. It also means tolerating annoyances like pillboxes, regular doctor visits, and the symptoms we just can’t quite get under control.
But, does living with mental illness mean we have to keep toxic people around us? Do we, as people who are managing a severe and persistent illness, just have to take the abuse that people heap on us because at least we aren’t alone?
In this episode, Gabe & Michelle explore tolerating toxic people and whether or not it’s a good idea. Listen now!
Highlights from ‘Toxic People and Mental Illness’ Episode
[1:00] Michelle and Gabe talk about toxic people.
[3:30] Michelle shares how her mental illness improved after removing a toxic person from her life.
[14:30] Gabe tells a story of removing a toxic person from his life to improve his mental illness outcomes.
[25:00] A touching story from someone who loves this podcast.
For many people living with mental illness, being committed to a psychiatric hospital is one of our deepest fears. Even people who aren’t mentally ill fear psychiatric hospitals – something that is on public display during Halloween.
Recently, Michelle had to take a friend to the hospital because of her friend’s thoughts of suicide. This was the first time Michelle had experienced the mental health system from any viewpoint other than that of a patient. In this episode, she describes everything she experienced and how it made her feel.
Our hosts, Gabe & Michelle, have discussed their experiences as patients in a previous episode titled Ep 6: Were You Ever in a Psych Ward? WE WERE! Stories from a Bipolar and a Schizophrenic. But they’ve never discussed what it was like the first time they visited a psych ward as a guest, advocate, or as someone who wasn‘t a patient.
Listen to this episode of A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast to learn more.
Highlights from ‘Psych Ward’ Episode
[2:00] Michelle shares a story about taking her friend to a psychiatric hospital
[4:00] Specific things that triggered Michelle while at the psychiatric hospital
[6:00] Gabe’s experience visiting a psych ward
[10:00] Frustrations and experiences with psychiatric hospitals
[14:00] Michelle's most triggering experience
[20:00] Discussing the problems with mental health care
Turkey. Stuffing. Families sitting down to dinner and… arguing? For many people, Thanksgiving Day isn’t a day to be thankful, but a day to dread, especially for people with mental illness who feel judged by their families.
In this episode, Gabe and Michelle talk about how things can go wrong during the holidays and share some of their best and worst moments during family gatherings. The show also includes practical advice that you can use and share with your loved ones.
Take a moment to relax and laugh this coming Thursday and – on behalf of all of us at A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast – Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy listening!
Highlights from ‘Thanksgiving with Mental Illness’ Episode
[1:00] Michelle and Gabe get ready for Thanksgiving
[4:30] Michelle loses her damn mind over the word “proud”
[9:00] People with mental illness want to be treated equally
[11:00] Our hosts debate traditions vs. obligations
[17:00] Someone once had a massive panic attack during Thanksgiving dinner
[21:00] Practical advice on how to have a better Thanksgiving
Most people with mental illness are diagnosed between the ages of 16 and 24. This means that many people managing severe and persistent mental illness – like major depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia – have never faced serious physical illnesses before.
So what happens when someone with a long history of mental illness reports symptoms of a physical illness, especially if that illness is hard to diagnose, treat, or see? Is it possible that the symptoms we believe we are having are just symptoms of mental illness – or could it be something more?
Moreover, how do doctors react when someone with such a history reports these symptoms? Do they take our concerns seriously or do they suggest we follow up with our mental health providers? And are they wrong to think this way?
What happens when a person with an invisible mental illness develops an invisible physical illness? How do we get the medical community to take us seriously? We discuss this – and so much more – with special guest Rachel Star, a young woman who lives with schizophrenia – and who went to her doctor to report that she had the symptoms of the plague.
Highlights from ‘Doctors’ Episode
[0:30] Michelle and Gabe welcome the “Schizo Stunt Girl” Rachel Star to the show.
[4:00] Rachel tells us how, for the first time in her life, her physical health has failed her.
[8:00] Rachel explains how her doctors marginalized her concerns because she has schizophrenia.
[13:00] Was Rachel Star put in isolation because of physical or mental illness?
[18:00] Do people with mental illness struggle to get good physical health care?
Yes. That plague.
On the same day as Gabe’s father-in-law’s memorial service, a synagogue was attacked in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Gabe wonders if Michelle, as a woman of the Jewish faith, is processing the synagogue attack differently than he is. During the discussion, it is evident that both events affected our hosts, but in different ways.
Gabe listens as Michelle warns about living life in fear of danger. Michelle listens as Gabe discusses delivering the eulogy for a man he didn’t particularly get along with when he was alive.
Whether you live with mental illness or not, everyone deals with regret, fear, and/or grief. So, this episode should really be listened to by everyone on earth. If you’re wondering if this episode is meant for you, Gabe and Michelle feel confident the answer is “yes.”
Highlights from ‘Regret, Fear, or Grief’ Episode
[1:00] Gabe and Michelle talk about the recent shooting targeting a Jewish temple.
[5:00] Gabe and Michelle discuss things that scare them.
[7:30] Gabe’s story of a friend dying by suicide.
[11:00] Our hosts discuss dealing with fear.
[12:00] Gabe discusses his father-in-law’s funeral.
[21:00] Stigma and judgment about mental illness is discussed.
[27:50] Michelle discusses being triggered at a wedding.
Gabe’s granny likes to say that the only thing you need to start a competition is two people. And while we all accept that people like to compete over their successes – who’s faster, prettier, or richer – it may come as a surprise to you that some folks compete over who is sicker.
Gabe dubs this contest “the suffering Olympics” and readily admits to having played this game, himself. “I wanted to prove I was sicker and it seemed important I was the sickest person in the room,” Gabe said after realizing what he was doing. “The reality is that we are all suffering, we are all afraid, and sharing those experiences doesn’t need to turn into a competition. In fact, it’s much, much healthier to not compete.”
In this episode of A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast, Gabe and Michelle discuss who has it worse: Gabe for living with bipolar disorder or Michelle for battling schizophrenia. It shouldn’t surprise anyone how ridiculous such a discussion sounds. Listen in and learn from the two most competitive mentally ill people we know.
Highlights from ‘Mental Illness Suffering Olympics’ Episode
[0:30] Gabe and Michelle play the suffering Olympics.
[3:00] Gabe tells a ridiculous conference story.
[6:10] Michelle makes the case that people with schizophrenia “have it worse.”
[7:00] Gabe counters that people living with bipolar have a harder time and suffer more.
[10:00] The debate rages on, with each side describing the negatives of each mental illness.
[15:00] Gabe & Michelle take a moment to consider the appropriateness of this conversation.
[17:00] Michelle tells the story of how she made a woman cry.
[19:30] Gabe & Michelle discuss what makes them different from each other and take a moment to reflect on what they have in common.
Fan favorite Two Truths and a Lie is back again! Listen to our hosts play the ever-popular game with the caveat that all the stories must center around depression and depression symptoms.
Michelle kicks us off telling stories of her college days and skipping class; Gabe follows up with his high school days of being too depressed to go to class. In round two, Michelle discusses her religious experiences, while Gabe recounts the potentially true story of calling his insurance company to make sure his life insurance will pay out on his death.
Finally, Michelle brings death, taxes, and guns into the mix, while Gabe tells the daring story of driving 100 miles per hour while manic.
Stories aside, the biggest question is to determine which stories are true and which are entirely fictional.
Is life stranger than fiction? You be the judge on this episode of A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast. Listen Now!
Highlights from ‘Depression Truths and Lies’ Episode
[1:25] Round One Stories: “Didn’t go to class due to depression” & “Too depressed to go to class 2.”
[5:30] Round Two Stories: “Preacher saved Michelle’s life” & “Called insurance company to ensure payoff after suicide.”
[12:00] Round Three Stories: “Overdosed/Death/Taxes/Guns” & “Car crash temptation.”
[19:00] Can Gabe and Michelle figure out which stories are true and which one is the lie?
Depression is an inconsiderate illness. It doesn’t care whether you have nothing going on or a lot going on. It will strike whenever it feels like it. Depression doesn’t care if you have a home filled with people, family obligations, or even a podcast to record. If this symptom of mental illness wants out, it’s coming out.
In this episode of A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast, our hosts attempt to record an episode, but Gabe breaks down and confides to Michelle that he isn’t doing well. The recorder was running and Gabe’s attempt at faking it until he makes it backfired. However, a vulnerable and honest look at depression resulted.
Listen in to find out what Gabe is like depressed and how Michelle rises to the occasion to support her co-worker and friend.
Highlights from ‘Depressed’ Episode
[0:30] Michelle helps Gabe with his depression.
[7:00] What triggered Gabe’s depression?
[9:00] Society's reaction to mental illness and/or depression.
[18:00] Is Michelle mad at Gabe for being depressed on the job?
[21:30] Gabe explains his frustrations and concerns and Michelle listens.
People are constantly labeling people who live with mental illness as dramatic, liars, and actors. Society, in general, often thinks people who live with bipolar, schizophrenia, and depression are being insincere when it comes to their illnesses.
The reality is that people with mental illness are often being misleading, just not in the way most people think. They will say they are “fine” when they are not. They say they’ll be okay, when they don’t believe that at all.
These people don’t want to lose friends or alienate people, and they are afraid of being judged. By saying they are okay when, in fact, they aren’t, they can keep the status quo. And while the status quo might not be all that great, at least they have someone asking if they are okay – and that beats accidentally running them off.
Listen to this episode of A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast now!
Highlights from ‘Fibbed About Being OK’ Episode
[0:30] Gabe and Michelle discuss lying about their mental illnesses.
[7:00] What should we do better in a crisis situation?
[12:30] How did Gabe end up in the psych ward?
[22:00] How do friends and family help in crisis situations?
[26:00] Continue to educate yourself about mental illness, even after you have recovered.
[29:00] Can anyone have a panic attack?
Normal. It’s one of those words that we all pretend to understand, but honestly, none of us really do. People living with mental illness are usually striving to be normal, or act normal, or feel normal – but how do we know when we’ve succeeded? What is normal?
In this episode of A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast, Gabe and Michelle discuss the various ways that people living with mental illness typically react to different events in their lives versus the way people living without mental illness may react.
In every scenario, our hosts talk about mistakes they’ve made, do-overs they’d like to have, and in some cases question whether the typical reaction is really all that reasonable to begin with.
Highlights from ‘Normal’ Episode
[1:30] Gabe and Michelle are discussing “Normal” Reactions vs. How People with Mental Illness React.
[2:15] What Michelle was first taught about Mental Illness. Gabe explains the accurate definitions.
[4:50] “Normal” person vs. mentally ill person: Reactions to a mistake at work
[6:30] “Normal” person vs. mentally ill person: Friends cancel plans on them
[7:50] “Normal” person vs. mentally ill person: How to make their momma happy
[9:20] “Normal” person vs. mentally ill person: Losing a lacrosse game
[14:00] “Normal” person vs. mentally ill person: How to be successful at school
[20:00] Exploring the different ways we grieve death before and after recovery.
[23:00] How should we react? Is there a correct way?
Everyone, of every age and from every walk of life, has goals. Sometimes they are life goals (like get married and raise a family), career goals (such as start and run a successful company), or daily goals (as in just getting through the day). People with mental illness have all those, too, but often have specific goals related to their particular mental illness.
In this episode, Gabe and Michelle share some of their personal goals, talk about how those goals have changed over time, and discuss why goals themselves are important – especially for those of us living with mental illness.
Highlights from ‘Goals with Mental Illness’ Episode
[:30] Michelle and Gabe designed a shirt! (And you can buy it here!)
[2:00] Discussing the goals we have in our lives, careers, and advocacy.
[7:00] Gabe and Michelle would both love to not be mentally ill.
[14:00] Discussing unreached goals.
[20:00] Acknowledging the goals that got us to this point in our lives.
[22:00] People with mental illness make future plans, too.
“Mistakes are part of life” is something that some older relative tells every single child after they’ve messed something up. Generally, this advice is followed up with, “It’s how you react to the mistake that matters.”
Gabe Howard’s father taught him to apologize whenever he did something wrong, believing that it was important to own the mistake and make amends for it. “You can’t ask for forgiveness if you aren’t willing to make it right,” his father said. In true blue collar fashion, he would follow up with, “The mark of a good man is his willingness to say he’s sorry.”
But, what happens when the mistake isn’t something you chose to do? What if, during depression, mania, or hallucination, you made a mistake or hurt someone?
Are people with mental illness expected to apologize for mistakes caused by an illness? In this episode of A Bipolar, A Schizophrenic, and a Podcast, Gabe and Michelle discuss this and much more.
Highlights from ‘Apologizing for Mental Illness’ Episode
[1:00] Michelle shares a story about a romantic argument.
[4:00] Gabe explains what he thinks about caretaking.
[7:00] Honestly, Michelle is just losing her shit.
[8:30] Should you apologize after you freak out?
[12:45] Gabe and Michelle’s working relationship is . . .
[18:00] Michelle’s delayed dating due to schizophrenia.
[21:00] Michelle has fear of success?