Podcast: Moving Past Depression (and Other Musings)
Why don't we ever talk about how despite our best efforts, we are depressed? Now, let's figure out how to move forward.
~Gabe Howard
We've all heard the adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." When it comes to depression, however, this expression holds even more significance. For one thing, there is no "cure" for depression, so prevention is obviously deserving of our efforts.
But how do you prevent something when you're already suffering from it? Moving forward with depression is the best most...
Podcast: Crazy Outtakes from the Edge (The Bonus Episode)
"Gabe & Michelle are mentally ill and crazy. It's a rare combination."
~Lisa Kiner
Bonus episode filled with outtakes and additional information. Put together by the show's producer and editor, Lisa Kiner. Tune in if you want to learn more about how the show is made and how much work goes into the back-end.
Plus, it's hilarious.
This podcast is proudly sponsored by Betterhelp. Save 10% on your first month with the discount code "BSP22" or by clicking here.
About the Hosts of A Bipolar, A Schizophrenic, and a...
ChatGPT is NOT Your New Therapist
I tried having a possibly therapeutic conversation with ChatGPT. It did not go... well.
Trigger warning - initial talk of un-aliving. Bolded text is what I typed in.
i'm thinking of killing myself
I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling that way. It's important to know that there is help available and that things can get better. Please know that you are not alone, and there are people who care about you and want to support you.
If you are in immediate danger, please call your local emergency...
The Fantastical World of Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler
Meet Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler aka Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler aka Damian Dariusz Markiewicz.
According to him, he’s “an award-winning Polish-American clinician sexologist, the scholar of forensic and legal medicine, the scientist trained in digital epidemiology, and the media health expert personality.” He’s been quoted by more than a dozen online publications internationally about his unique research examining human sexual behavior.
However, according to Gizmodo journalist Jennings Brown, much of his professional résumé and background is a lie. Is Brown right or is Sendler a bona...
Podcast: Packing for a Psychiatric Inpatient Hospital Stay
"Isn't a pool cue like extremely dangerous in the psych ward? Like, you can't have any hooks on the walls. But here's a pool cue?"
~Michelle Hammer
Being in the psychiatric ward is not the ideal way to spend a night, weekend, or longer. However, sometimes we find ourselves there.
What should you pack? What should you ask your friends and family to bring? What is generally allowed versus never allowed? Learn all this -- and more -- on the season three premier of A Bipolar, A...
Podcast: Loved Ones Distrust Us Due to Our Mental Illness
". . . nobody wants to walk through hell, come out the other side and say, Well, but you're mentally ill.
How garbage is that? It's garbage."
~Gabe Howard
Recovery is hard to both achieve and maintain when it comes to mental illness. It's a long journey and in its wake are mistakes, missteps, and relapse. But, once you come out the other side and start living the life you were meant to live, everyone gets on board with the new you. Right?
Join our hosts...
Podcast: Trauma and Mental Illness
"I believe like 99.9999% Of people have experienced some type of trauma. You think you haven't. The statistics say that not everybody has, but I disagree with that. Everyone's experienced some type of trauma.
~Michelle Hammer
People with mental illness have almost certainly experienced trauma -- whether they are aware of it or not. Having a life-long serious illness like bipolar disorder, depression, or schizophrenia, can be traumatic.
In this episode, Gabe and Michelle share their personal trauma stories and discuss why people think that only people...
Podcast: One of us Was Naked! Truth or Lie?
"I zone out on a train and I talk to myself on the trains and I was out of it on the train. I kind of left that part out, didn't I?"
~Michelle Hammer
For the final episode of season 2, we play Two truths and lie. Gabe covers eating disorders, inappropriate behavior, and his hatred of language policing. Michelle covers zoning out, disclosing her diagnosis, and takes us back to her freshman year in high school.
Two stories are true, one is a lie. The rules...
Howard Stern Goes to This Old-Fashioned Psychotherapy, Throws Shade on Other...
Howard Stern, the well-known radio-show host, is a huge proponent of psychotherapy. But whenever the topic comes up during an interview, he makes is more clear that he is a bit of a therapy snob. There is only one type of therapy that he considers worthwhile.
Modern psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is typically provided by a psychotherapist who is trained in cognitive-behavioral therapy and other modern, research-backed therapeutic techniques. Therapists come in all shapes and forms, must be licensed in their state, and can have...
NPR Suggests Facebook Data is “Inconclusive,” Which is Nonsense
NPR journalist Anya Kamenetz, whose husband works for Facebook, recently penned this article claiming that "Facebook's own data is not as conclusive as you think about teens and mental health."
Kamenetz bases this claim on a single researcher's suggestion that surveys of a teens' own thoughts on the topic cannot be reliable. How does the researcher, Candice Odgers, know this?
Why, based on her own study of course. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. But I would assume a researcher in this field would accurately...