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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?
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