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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!
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