Mental Illness Happy Hour

The writer/performer/wife/mother shares about her OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, intrusive thoughts and insomnia. She also talks about the surprising gifts that came from the painful loss of her mother and how she is using basketball to embrace her body and let out aggression. Follow Kate on Twitter @KateSpencer This episode is sponsored by SquareSpace. To get 10% go to www.squarespace.com and use offer code MENTAL See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sold by her mother to a pedophile ring led by powerful politicians and aristocrats in her native Belgium, Anneke's story is about more than just survival. She talks about the ways her PTSD affects her life but also about the empathy she learned at a young age that inspires her to teach yoga in prisons. Check out her foundation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The neuropsychology PhD shares natural ways for us to improve our mood and take care of our brains. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 27 year-old comic/impressionist (America's Got Talent) opens up people-pleasing, cutting, isolating, creating, bombing, tattoos, the comfort of solitary hobbies and the struggle to practice self-care. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The USC professor of law, psychiatry and psychology (in addition to a PhD in Psychoanalysis) talks about her history of schizophrenia, her multiple hospitalizations and how she has learned to manage it. They also talk about mental health and the law. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The comedian, writer (Rodeo in Joliet and Saturday Night Live) and voice actor opens up about his ongoing battles with cancer, how being told 20 years ago that he had "three months to live" changed his life and how difficult he finds it to ask for help. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The board-certified psychiatrist answers questions about personality disorders, medication, problems in the mental health system and mental health in the black community. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The registered dietitian shares about the huge importance that was placed on food growing up in her family, how she used it to soothe instead of finding a healthy way to express her emotions and how it morphed into an eating disorder. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Licensed Family and Marriage Therapist opens up about the verbal abuse he endured as a kid from his father who pushed him to excel in baseball, and how therapy not only helped him cope but made him realize he wanted to be a therapist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 26 year-old adoptee (from Paraguay) shares about growing up with an emotionally disturbed sibling and single mom, experiencing racism at her all-white school, and turning to porn and escorting to pay the bills while pursuing her dream of screenwriting. She currently volunteers at the Sex Workers Outreach Project LA http://www.swop-losangeles.org/about-1.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 61 year-old talks about loneliness, the painful depths his addictions took him to and the chance he has in sobriety to be the kind of father he never had. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

27 year-old Michelle F shares about being raised by a shopaholic mom and a father (and grandparents) who hoarded. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

JoAnn shares about her path to recovery after being victimized by serial rapist Jeffrey Marsalis (dubbed the Match.com rapist). She sheds light on how she went from her lowest low to participating in the judicial process and eventually speaking publicly for other survivors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The first pupil from her inner-city high school to attend Cambridge, the 42 year-old journalist/author shares about the poverty, violence and dysfunction that defined her childhood in West Belfast, Northern Ireland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The licensed clinical social worker and author of Dear Mallory: Letters to a Teenage Girl Who Killed Herself shares about the loss of her 18 year-old daughter to suicide. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 28 year-old talks about being raised in the Church of Scientology by a narcissistic father and passive mother. He details the abuse inflicted by their "Sea Org" starting when he was 13, how he reconciled their homophobia with his being gay and ultimately how he broke away from the church and his family. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The lifelong friends join Paul to talk about supporting each other through their issues which include: alcoholism, food addiction, IBS and codependency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The former armored car driver shares about the PTSD that came in the wake of a shootout that almost killed him and what it means to be masculine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The writer and graphic artist (and karaoke DJ) talks with Paul about her parents gambling and shopping addictions, being bullied, becoming violent in her 20s and eventually finding therapy and support groups for her codependency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Therapist Kati Morton returns to answer listener questions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Israeli couple talk about their childhoods, how they try to support each other and finding emotional and sexual satisfaction given their individual issues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 19 year-old YouTube entertainer commiserates with Paul about OCD, depression, jealousy, naps, love and internet trolls. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The writer/performer opens up about being drugged and raped and the pressure she has been putting on the San Francisco police department to process the thousands of warehoused rape kits whose DNA could help catch the predators who remain unapprehended. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 54 year-old shares about her battles with fibromyalgia, her physically abusive mother, how her illness affects her relationships, her anxieties and how expressing her emotions helped ease the intensity of her physical pain. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The author/podcaster opens up about her sexually inappropriate narcissistic father, getting sober from her cocaine addiction, fear of intimacy and vacillating between thinking that she's "the shit" or a piece of it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Matty could no longer bear the silence he saw around him, so he started Road to Change and walked 10,000 miles across Europe to raise awareness and in the process helped change laws in several countries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 24 year-old shares about identifying as asexual and gender-fluid as well as the hurdle of coming to terms with a childhood that wasn't overtly abusive, just void of connection. They also talk about Kelly's OCD, anxiety, depression and love of fan fiction. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The writer/ex-rapper/entrepreneur/podcaster talks about living with Obsessive Thoughts Disorder, being molested by a 19 year-old female when he was 13 and the ways his disorder interpreted the trauma until he saw it as such. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 30 year-old writer talks about being parentless at 3 and the complex relationship with her mentally disabled sister whom she now has guardianship of. She and Paul bond over suicidal thoughts, isolating and much much more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 25 year-old discusses his Generalized Anxiety Disorder, social awkwardness, difficulty making eye-contact, compulsive overeating, abusive ex-wife and the possibility of being on the autism spectrum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 57 year-old incest survivor talks about growing up in a family "where being born female was considered a moral failure". She also talks about her struggles with repressed memories and possible DID (Dissociative Identify Disorder) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The licensed therapist and Paul talk about eating disorders, emotional intimacy and how to support friends/loved ones while also practicing self-care and establishing boundaries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The comedian/dancer/actor shares about her mother's descent into mental illness (schizophrenia), the abuse she suffered at her hands, the year she spent in the foster care system and the strength she feels it has given her. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The comic book artist and father talks about the role superheroes have played in helping his imagination and creativity heal the trauma he experienced as a child, and trying to break the cycle of abandonment his father never could. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 28 year-old writer shares about being unemployed and an only child, her fear of abandonment, being born with club feet, body and sexuality shame and the depression that often makes everything feel like an effort. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 40 year-old shares about her traumatic upbringing (incest, religious extremism, abandonment) and the ways her body and mind learned to cope; hallucinating, going numb and following strangers and elaborately envisioning how to kill them and get away with it. This episode is sponsored by Shari's Berries. For our podcast discount go to www.berries.com, click on the microphone in the upper right hand corner and use our offer code MENTAL. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Hispanic, 31 year-old PhD shares about the downside of raising herself up by her bootstraps; growing up knowing she couldn't depend on her passive mother or gambler father, and now finding her emotional development lacking, especially in areas of trust, intimacy or being comfortable asking for help. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Listeners share their deepest darkest struggles and darkly hilarious "awfulsome" moments via email and surveys. Also a contemplation on the life and death of transgender teen Leelah Alcorn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 37 year-old Canadian comic discusses his two psychiatric hospitalizations, his Bipolar II (with rapid cycling), how sports helped him channel his anger about his abusive dad and what he does to stay in balance today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 37 year-old comedian shares about the three traumas that led her to finally seek somatic therapy for her disassociating subtype of PTSD, how she's healing and the tools she uses to cope today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Paul's 41 year-old friend talks (and laughs) about his arrested emotional development and struggle to be an adult after a childhood where he often had to parent his parents because of their addictions, mental illnesses (including hospitalizations and suicide attempts) and lack of boundaries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The therapist intern opens up about the rarely-discussed trauma of miscarriage, the lack of traditional grief support in our culture, and the surprising results she got from seeking an alternative healing therapy (a full spectrum doula) after her fifth miscarriage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 24 year-old first generation Mexican-American is currently unable to stop her anorexia, bulimia or blackout drinking. She shares what her struggle is like and about the abusive ex-boyfriend whose chaos and trauma-bonding helped distract her from her feelings and finally she shares about the family life where most of her pain originated. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The former NHL goalie opens up about his difficult childhood and the OCD that helped him professionally but ultimately almost ended his life. He shares about his anxiety, depression, alcoholism, suicide attempt and the PTSD from a skate to the neck that almost caused him to bleed to death during a televised game in 1989. Clint has survived it all and more importantly gotten the help his "cowboy" upbringing had stigmatized for years as "weak". Clint's book is called A Matter of Inches (in Canada it's called The Crazy Game). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"No man ever pleased me like cocaine did." The 60 year-old shares about the drug that helped her with her ADD, feel skinnier, prettier and more powerful especially when she began dealing it by the kilo. She also opens up about her stint in prison and the things she learned there that helped her emotionally when being treated for breast cancer. She is currently a certified drug and alcohol counselor studying to become a MFT (Marriage and Family therapist). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Born with achondroplasia dwarfism to emotionally unavailable Taiwanese immigrant parents, Sam shares about being a "litte person" and the ways support groups have helped her navigate dealing with love addiction, sex addiction and co-dependency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The actor/writer opens up about his blue collar New Jersey upbringing, and his battles with anger, sadness, self-sabotage, paranoia, addiction, depression and the unorthodox nurse practitioner who has helped him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when the Homecoming Queen takes off her popularity mask and deals with the pain of her co-dependent mom and the suicide of her gay father? One of the most compassionate and truth-seeking guests we've ever had. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The comedian and author shares about growing up with Dyslexia, OCD, being held back in grade school, his coming out of the closet in his 40s and the politics of language especially in regards to sexism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The clinical psychologist shares her insight and experience in working with The Ruby Project, helping girls who have been sexually abused and/or involved in sex trafficking heal though group workshops and artistic expression. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.