Podcast: Helping a Friend with Mental Illness

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.

 

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“And I wonder to myself, ‘Why do you tolerate this s**t?’”
– Gabe Howard

 

Highlights From ‘Helping a friend with mental illness’’ Episode

[1:00] Fun with 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 psychiatric medications help?

[22:00] When are we not okay?

Computer Generated Transcript for ‘Helping a Friend with Mental Illness’ Show

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript has been computer generated and therefore may contain inaccuracies and grammar errors. Thank you.

Announcer: For reasons that utterly escape everyone involved, you’re listening to A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast. Here are your hosts, Gabe Howard and Michelle Hammer.

Gabe: My name is Gabe Howard and I have bipolar disorder.

Michelle: Hi Michelle, schizophrenic.

Gabe: And together we’re hosting a podcast. That’s where we got the name.

Michelle: Whoooooo!

Gabe: I think we’ve made that joke like four times in the entirety of the show which is now well over a year.

Michelle: Wow, Gabe I’ve known you for so long.

Gabe: You couldn’t even fake enthusiasm.

Michelle: I’m enthusiastic, I’m so happy.

Gabe: Have you taken your meds?

Michelle: Yes.

Gabe: Isn’t that was still the number one question that makes our audience cringe?

Michelle: I can’t stand that question.

Gabe: Now you know that I’m just kidding like I watched you take your meds because I don’t want you to hurt my dog. Stereotypes are funny. They’re also very offensive and insulting. And this show really aims to both break down stereotypes and use them for humor. So we have sort of a schizophrenic goal. Oh shit. Did I do it again?

Michelle: Oh, no, you did. This weather is just so schizophrenic.

Gabe: No, no, it’s bipolar. See that doesn’t offend me. That’s actually a really interesting point. I’ve heard you say that the weather is schizophrenic offends you. When people say that the weather is bipolar that does not offend me.

Michelle: I think that makes a little more sense because they mean one day it’s sunny one day it’s raining or cold. And schizophrenic weather I don’t get it because I’m like, what is the weather hearing right now?

Gabe: So you’re saying that the reason that the weather is schizophrenic is offensive is because the weather is not hearing voices?

Michelle: I just don’t understand how it makes any sense. What are they thinking that schizophrenia is that the weather it could possibly be schizophrenic?

Gabe: That’s a good point there.

Michelle: Is the weather delusional? Is the weather thinking that it’s raining, so it’s raining? Or is the weather sunny because it’s believing a delusion of sunnyness? I don’t get it.

Gabe: That’s a good point. When somebody says the weather is schizophrenic they probably mean that it’s like erratic or maybe unwelcome or violent or uncomfortable. So therefore the weather is schizophrenic and I can see where that would be. You’re right that is a lot more insulting than the weather is bipolar which like you said it was rainy one minute and sunny the next.

Michelle: I think it’s just people that don’t know what schizophrenia is and they just want us say something like maybe they think they’re smart. Like that when people say the word “conversate” and say it like they think it’s an actual word.

Gabe: Yeah.

Michelle: When the real word is converse.

Gabe: Right.

Michelle: They think they’re smart like we were just “conversating” saying like no no you sound like an idiot when you try to sound smart like that. Not a word. Conversate is not a word conversating is not a word. Don’t say the word conversate in front of me. I will think you’re an idiot.

Gabe: You know the one that I hate the most? The word “irregardless.”

Michelle: Is that what?

Gabe: It’s not a word. Regardless it’s not a word it’s regardless just just regardless. You don’t need an “irr.”.

Michelle: I don’t think I’ve even heard somebody say that.

Gabe: You know what I also hate? This literally makes me die.

Michelle: That doesn’t make any sense.

Gabe: Right? It figuratively makes you die.

Michelle: Yes. Because then.

Gabe: You’re literally an idiot.

Michelle: Because then you’d be dead. It literally made you die. You’d be dead. But you know and then the British they say literally?

Gabe: Literally?

Michelle: Why do they say literally?

Gabe: How would you know, you’ve never left the country?

Michelle: Yes I have.

Gabe: When?

Michelle: And plus there’s always British people on TV and there’s British people in movies and they say literally and they say Tuesday and they say schedule.

Gabe: So we’ve got an e-mail. We actually just drop these things in to see if people from across the pond are listening. If somebody writes in, “We did not like Michelle Hammer making fun of our entire culture and country.” We’re like hey we’re breaking in the U.K. We do get a lot of e-mail and we are going to try to answer more and more e-mails in future episodes. So bop over to PsychCentral.com/BSP and you’ll be able to see the form to ask us your own questions.

Michelle: Ask us anything.

Gabe: Megan sent us a nice long e-mail and she asked a lot of questions. We decided, hey, we might as well address them because you know we ran out of show ideas. She wrote I just started listening to your podcast and I’m trying to understand bipolar disorder more. So this works because it’s going to be about me. I would love to hear an in-depth discussion about how the brain works with someone who has bipolar disorder. Let’s kind of stop there for a moment. Gabe Howard lives with bipolar disorder.

Michelle: And I’m schizophrenic.

Gabe: And neither one of us are doctors.

Michelle: I am not a doctor.

Gabe: We don’t even play one on TV.

Michelle: No.

Gabe: We don’t even have like Neil Patrick Harris Doogie Howser.

Michelle: Not even.

Gabe: Yeah.

Michelle: We’re not even a kid doctor that’s a genius.

Gabe: Nothing. We’re not even a therapist.

Michelle: But I like brains.

Gabe: So you do not want to get in depth information about how the brain works with bipolar disorder from Gabe and Michelle.

Michelle: Or we can just make something up.

Gabe: We could. We can make something up. The brain works by firing synapses. Aww, shit, that’s actually correct.

Michelle: Synapses. There’s a misfire in synapses. That’s why that’s. It’s a misfire. And there is serotonin.

Gabe: Serotonin, there’s a word. Dopamine.

Michelle: Dopamine.

Gabe: You’re a dope, I mean, sorry.

Michelle: You’re dope, I mean, you’re a dope, like I mean, yo.

Gabe: Like the brain for as much as we need it and as much as we talk about it and the fact that everybody has one is a really misunderstood organ. So you really just don’t want to get information from anybody because they just don’t know.

Michelle: You gotta donate your brain to science, Gabe. There you go.

Gabe: I did. Harvard gets my brain when I die.

Michelle: Oh, that’s so nice of you.

Gabe: It’s the only way I’m getting into Harvard.

Michelle: OK.

Gabe: Who’s getting your brain when you die?

Michelle: I haven’t thought about it yet but I’ve gotten a brain scan that I gave to Mount Sinai Hospital.

Gabe: That was really cool.

Michelle: Yeah. The next question we can answer, though. It’s what are ways to help someone with bipolar disorder?

Gabe: The best way to help people with mental illness is to do something. So many people ignore the symptoms of mental illness because they don’t know what to say. They don’t know what to do and therefore they do nothing. Doing something is so much better, and some ideas are: talk to the person directly, encourage the person to seek mental health help, if the person is a danger to themselves or others, take them to the doctor or call 911 and stay with them provide support. The bottom line is so many people watch people spiral out of control from a distance because they don’t want to get involved. They don’t understand it. They think that it’s a moral failing. Or they go over and they start yelling at the person and they’re mean to the person and they demand that they get better.

Michelle: And you really have to be there for the person. Don’t run away. Stay with them, and try to educate yourself like Megan is trying to do.

Gabe: Megan is an excellent example of somebody that’s trying to do something. Her whole letter, which we won’t have time to read, it asked many many questions. And I sincerely hope that Megan, upon hearing this episode, doesn’t think oh well I’ve got all the information that I need in 20 minutes. That’s not realistic. You need to get on PsychCentral.com and read a lot. And also people who are trying to take care of people with mental illness, see your own therapist.

Michelle: Yes.

Gabe: You know being a full time caregiver to somebody that is really really sick that’s a lot.

Michelle: Caregiving is not easy. And then there’s also support groups for caregivers.

Gabe: A lot of people don’t realize that when it comes to mental illness. For alcohol addiction they have like Al-Anon. It’s for people who love somebody who is an alcoholic.

Michelle: Or like PFLAG.

Gabe: Exactly, which is?

Michelle: I don’t know exactly what it stands for, but it’s the parents of gays and lesbians.

Gabe: Really? You can’t get Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays out of PFLAG?

Michelle: Right. That’s right. You know, it Gabe!

Gabe: Why do I know more about your culture than you do?

Michelle: Whatever whatever whatever.

Gabe: There’s all kinds of support groups that are set up for the ancillary characters. And that’s really how I like to say it. They’re not people that are suffering, or have the impairment, or the issue that, you know, is at the core of this. But they’re still impacted by it. They are still impacted by something that happened to somebody else and they need and deserve support as well.

Michelle: Yeah, you’re not alone. You’re not alone. There’s bazillions of caregivers for people with mental illness and they need people to talk to as well.

Gabe: Exactly.

Michelle: Pause on that. Let’s take a break and hear from our sponsor.

Announcer: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. Secure, convenient, and affordable online counselling. All counselors are licensed, accredited professionals. Anything you share is confidential. Schedule secure video or phone sessions, plus chat and text with your therapist, whenever you feel it’s needed. A month of online therapy often costs less than a single traditional face to face session. Go to BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral and experience seven days of free therapy to see if online counselling is right for you. BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral.

Gabe: And we’re back talking this e-mail.

Michelle: So Megan specifically asked this one question of how can they help themselves when they’re in a manic phase?

Gabe: That’s really tough. I mean, both Michelle and I have experienced mania and once you’re manic you’re it’s hard you’re kind of gone.

Michelle: Yeah, me specifically, let’s say last week I kind of had a manic phase. I even went to the doctor, just that my regular therapy psychiatrist doctor, and I was just in there and he’s kind of said to me you know you’re acting kind of manic right now are you OK? And I go Oh I’m fine I’m fine I’m fine everything is fine. And then I was kind of like hanging out with my friends and they were like Are you OK right now? You are acting a very very strange. What is going on? And that’s when I kind of self reflected and I was like I am totally manic right now. I need to do something about this. But I am an experienced with dealing with myself so I know what I need to do. So someone who’s newly into having a mental illness and finding it out for themselves, they need to learn what they need to do. So they kind of need to educate themselves. So, Gabe, what did you do when you didn’t know you were having manic episodes?

Gabe: I mean if you don’t know, you’re not going to do anything. Because mania, for as bad and as nasty and awful as it is, it feels good. It feels fantastic. I don’t think the average person who’s feeling fantastic would think to themselves hey what do I need to do to fix this? Especially with bipolar disorder, because there’s so much depression and suicidality and deep dark pits.

Michelle: Right? And you’re finally happy.

Gabe: Yeah. You’re finally happy. Why would you want anybody to fuck with that?

Michelle: I know. And then everyone’s telling you what are you doing why are you acting like this. You’re like What? I’m happy right now I’m having a great time Why are you trying to kill my jam? I’m doing great.

Gabe: Yeah. I would argue that one of the first things to getting better with bipolar disorder is this acknowledgment that all extreme emotions can be dangerous. People just have this belief that you can never be too happy. They’re like wait you can be too happy? What, can you be too rich? Look I don’t know if you can be too rich, but you’re can absolutely be too happy.

Michelle: I would love to be too rich.

Gabe: I can see that. Would you be like Scrooge McDuck?

Michelle: Like diving into my coins and stuff?

Gabe: I can see you getting rich and filling up like a giant bin full of money jumping into it and just immediately breaking your nose and smashing your face. That seems like the idiotic thing that you would do.

Michelle: I would not do that. But I might take a bath in money naked.

Gabe: Duck Tails. Woo hoo. I want to touch on another part of your story that you brought up, Michelle. Which is you were listening to the people around you when your doctor said it you were like OK and when your friends said it you were like OK. This takes some time to build. Obviously, Michelle, we’ve discussed that you have to really be in touch with your emotions to be able to know that you’re in a manic stage and know that you need to do something. That’s really the first thing that you have to learn. But once you’ve learned that so you realized you were manic. What did you do about it?

Michelle: Well when I noticed my friends were getting frustrated with me and bringing up that I was manic and you know they didn’t like it they weren’t enjoying it. They were kind of saying what’s going on? I was like you just took a seat on the couch took a couple of deep breaths, had some water, and just settled and self-reflected and just calmed myself down. Really just calmed myself down and realized how I was acting. I kind of got sad that it happened. I was upset that I got so manic. I was upset that I let myself get manic. So I just kind of got sad about it.

Gabe: Isn’t that kind of like one of the really shitty things about being mentally ill? You just described that you had a symptom of your mental illness and now you felt bad for it.

Michelle: Yeah.

Gabe: That would be like feeling sad that you have the symptom of the flu because you blew your nose.

Michelle: Yeah yeah.

Gabe: There’s a lot of regret when it comes to mental illness. Now I think you know Megan’s talking about her boyfriend a lot here and one of the things that she wants to know over and over again is you know how can he stop? How can he lessen things? And we’re trying not to make this episode about well just take your meds and you’ll be fine, because that’s not helpful.

Michelle: Yeah. Going on meds isn’t even easy, especially newly diagnosed. How do you know you’re going on the right med at the right time? How much meds do you need? What’s going to work what’s not going to work? That’s a whole new thing. That’s a whole process. So you can’t just say take your meds and you’ll be better. You don’t know what meds, what your meds are going to be?

Gabe: But it is helpful.

Michelle: It’s helpful of course. The journey of medication is it always leads to a better life. Well it did with me and you.

Gabe: Yeah.

Michelle: So I would say that is a good journey.

Gabe: But along that journey, to be fair, that journey does involve nasty ass things happening to you. From the time I started medication until the time I got to you know recovery was four years. Clearly that journey was worth it because now I can live well. But there was some issues along the way. It wasn’t like this nice beautiful country road. There were traffic jams. I wrecked my car a couple of times. Gas is incredibly expensive. I’m glad that I got from point A to point B, and I’m proud of myself for doing so. But I think so many people hear just take your meds. Just be med compliant. Meds have no downsides. Meds have incredible amounts of downside. She’s talking about her boyfriend who wants to manage bipolar disorder without the help of medication. I don’t think that’s possible.

Michelle: I don’t think that’s possible either.

Gabe: But I can understand why he’s scared. I mean her boyfriend wants to manage it without them and I really believe that he wants to manage a bipolar diagnosis without meds for two reasons. One, having to take medicine is shitty.

Michelle: Yes.

Gabe: I mean it’s a reminder every time you put those pills in your mouth that you are different from everybody else.

Michelle: Absolutely.

Gabe: It’s also seen as a sign of weakness.

Michelle: Yeah.

Gabe: Well you’re so weak. You need medication.

Michelle: Absolutely.

Gabe: And it’s not just that you’re weak, your brain is weak.

Michelle: Yeah.

Gabe: And your brain is where like your personality and your intelligence is stored. So your personality and your intellect, the core of who you are, is broken.

Michelle: That’s just one of the things that you think. It is.

Gabe: And it is hard to get over that because it sounds so sensible at the time but that’s just so incredibly stupid. It really is when you think about it. If you lacerated your arm right now and just a big old gash and just blood was pouring out and like your nerves in just a big old gash.

Michelle: Yeah, yeah, I get it.

Gabe: And a doctor comes in. The doctor comes in and says I’m going to stitch that up for you so that you can heal and you say no.

Michelle: I want to keep bleeding.

Gabe: I want to keep bleeding because I’m going to will the laceration closed on my own because I’m in control of my arm. It’s my arm. You will not do stuff to my arm. Or what if you broke your leg? I will fuse the bones together without medical intervention. We have people that live with diabetes and have to take insulin. They they don’t say no no no my chemistry is flawed. Or you know, I say chemistry, I actually have no idea how diabetes works, except that people take daily shots and those people live better. It’s the same way with mental illness. I’m really trying not to say stigma, but it’s got this stigma surrounding it that there is somehow a moral value in treating mental illness. I think there’s a moral value in not treating mental illness.

Michelle: You said there were two reasons why he didn’t want to take medication.

Gabe: I did give two reasons.

Michelle: You gave two reasons?

Gabe: Yes, you’re just not paying attention.

Michelle: OK fine.

Gabe: I’m not. Reason number one because taking pills reminds you that you’re different. Reason number two.

Michelle: Stigma?

Gabe: Number two, no not stigmas. Stop yelling stigma. What are you? Every single mental health advocate in the world?

Michelle: Person first language please.

Gabe: I apologize. You’re a person living with stupid ideas that you’re spewing out on our show. The first one was taking pills makes you feel different. The second one is that people feel there’s a moral value in taking their medication because they should be able to control their brains without help.

Michelle: Okay gotcha there. Gotcha. That’s one and two. Take notes people.

Gabe: Somebody who’s newly diagnosed with any mental illness, but especially bipolar disorder, they’re just reminded about how their brain is not working right and how they’re different and how they need to do better. And it’s a scary prospect but this is what I would want to say to this person if he were sitting in front of me. The medication will give you better control of your brain. It will allow you to use more of your faculties. You choose to take the medication so you are in charge. It’s no different than using a car to drive faster. It doesn’t make you weak. It’s just a shortcut. I don’t want to walk 20 miles to school. I want to drive 20 miles to school. It makes me intelligent that I’m smart enough to use a car to get there faster and safer. It makes you intelligent that you’re smart enough to use medication so that you can get there faster and safer. And then once you have better control of your brain you can start making decisions and doing what you want and controlling it just so much better.

Michelle: Yeah. I’m reading more of this letter and it seems like he’s so anti medication that he’s almost hurting. Really he’s like he’s distressing himself because he’s not going to doctors because he’s being told by doctors that he needs meds. So I mean if you’re going to go to a doctor for help and then refuse the help, why are you going to the doctor?

Gabe: Because he wants to hear something other than that. And you know he is right. There’s a line in here, “It sucks when everyone just tells him medication will work and they don’t give him any other options.” That’s irresponsible as well.

Michelle: It is. It is.

Gabe: We should point that out because medication while very helpful is not, I repeat not, the only thing.

Michelle: Group therapy for him as well. Why doesn’t he talk to other people who were told they are bipolar?

Gabe: Exactly.

Michelle: He can talk to other people and find out if they’re on meds. Then he can feel like oh if they’re bipolar and they’re on meds and they’re doing this maybe I’m not alone. You know maybe he feels alone with his disorder? But then will he go to group therapy is a whole different question, you know?

Gabe: I have no idea if he would or not. But the point that is being raised in the e-mail and that’s all we have we just have this e-mail. You know maybe they’re lying. I don’t know. But I’m going to take them at their word. What they’re saying is that he goes in and says to his doctor I have bipolar disorder what can I do to get well? And the doctor says your best option is A. And he’s saying look I want to be a health care consumer. And I don’t agree with A. I don’t want to do A. And his doctor is saying then forget it I’m not going to give you anything else. I’ll say that A is the best option. I agree that A is the best option. But he’s telling us, his patient is telling us, that he’s uncomfortable with A. Do you have a B? There is a B. Go to therapy. Go to group therapy. Use peer support. Talk to other people with mental illness. Discuss with a therapist why you’re so afraid of medication. Get more research on what exactly you think medication is going to do that you want to head off. He might have like a really really good reason to not want to take medication. Maybe he is a concert pianist and he has heard that medication causes tremors? That’s a very very common thing. And he is afraid that if he starts taking medication he will not be able to play the piano anymore. Now he’s not being ridiculous. Now he’s safeguarding something that is a passion of his. That is his whole life.

Michelle: Now I’m checking my hands.

Gabe: I know. We both lifted up our hands. We’re like hey there’s a look. Look.

Michelle: Do my hands tremor?

Gabe: Yeah, look.

Michelle: Your hands are trembling, am I?

Gabe: Yeah. You’ve got a little tremor there. Yeah. Look. Look at the pen.

Michelle: Oh, snap! I’ve got hand tremors.

Gabe: Yeah. But see, it doesn’t bother you because you don’t need fine motor skills for your job.

Michelle: I could never be a surgeon.

Gabe: You could never be a surgeon. You could never.

Michelle: There’s way more reasons why I could never be a surgeon.

Gabe: I could see you being a surgeon. You’d be like I’m here to operate, bitch.

Michelle: I’m here to operate. I’ll be a plastic surgeon. You want some big titties? I’ll give you some big titties. Oh yes.

Gabe: I also in this e-mail she says that she’s been dating this gentleman for six and a half years now, which is a long time. That’s like a solid relationship. That’s like all of my marriages wrapped into one. And she says that she can’t tell when he has a manic episode. She can tell when he’s depressed. And you know I kind of recognize how you can tell when somebody is depressed. It is very difficult sometimes to notice mania until it’s too late. Because sometimes you’re positive that mania is happening the minute they leap off the roof into the pool before then you just think through the life of the party they’re fun and they’re happy.

Michelle: One driving 105 miles per hour down the highway.

Gabe: Yeah. And you don’t want to tell somebody that’s like enjoying life. I mean I have driven a hundred miles an hour. I have. I’ve done it. And that’s probably maybe not the safest thing. I mean the speed limit was 70. I went 100. That’s 30 miles and over but it wasn’t because of mania. But you know what if it was? So how can somebody tell when Gabe’s driving 100 miles an hour because hey he drives a fucking Lexus and he wants to turn up the stereo really loud and race down the road? Or is he driving really fast because he’s manic? Remember the other day when we listened to I would Do Anything for Love at literally all the way to the top volume and drove 100 hundred miles and you like sang and recorded it and put it on Facebook.

Michelle: Yes.

Gabe: Yeah. The police came our court date is in like two weeks.

Michelle: Now shut up. No it’s not.

Gabe: You don’t know. It really was a bad idea to film it. You’re a moron.

Michelle: Filmed the speedometer.

Gabe: Michelle, we really get a lot of e-mails from caregivers, family members, significant others ,and they ask the same questions over and over: what can I do? How can I help them? And I really wish we had the answer, because we’d be rich.

Michelle: Scrooge McDuck rich.

Gabe: Right?

Michelle: Yeah.

Gabe: That’s the kind of thing that you could sell for tons of money. So I want people to know there are no easy answers because so many people are looking for that magic bullet. There isn’t one. And I think about like an email like this where she’s like You know I’ve been with this man for six and a half years and I love him and I want to help him but it sounds like for six and a half years he’s been symptomatic and just caused her problems. So it’s rough because there’s this little part of me that wants to say to people man why do you tolerate this shit? Maybe this isn’t the best relationship for you? Maybe you need to save yourself? I struggle with this in my own marriage. I’m not saying this to just her. I also think about this for my friends or my wife. Why does she want to put up with this? And I don’t know the answer, but I do know that if I want people to love me, I have to pull my own weight. And no matter how hard you try, you can’t make your loved one be better. They have to work on it on their own. They have to want it. The most that you can ever do is help them. But a lot of these emails they’re asking how to do it for them. And that can’t be done.

Michelle: A relationship is a partnership. And you can’t just help your partner if they won’t accept help themselves. You have to work together and you have to want to get better. To have a successful relationship that works well you’ve got to do what’s best for yourself.

Gabe: Truer words never spoken, my friend.

Michelle: I’m a true word genius. We’ve been conversating for awhile now. Thank you for writing in Megan. We hope that everything turns out OK. We hope we gave you some great advice. We hope we helped you and I hope that everything goes well in the future.

Gabe: And we believe that it can, because if for nothing else, we’re incredibly optimistic.

Michelle: You bet.

Gabe: Don’t people always say that about us, Michelle? That Gabe and Michelle, they’re so optimistic.

Michelle: I don’t know why people say that.

Gabe: I don’t know because everything sucks we’re all going to die. It is true. I mean everything does suck and we all are going to die someday. Maybe the optimism is that we don’t think we’re going to die today?

Michelle: Oh yeah, not today.

Gabe: Not today.

Michelle: Not tomorrow.

Gabe: Not tomorrow, either.

Michelle: One day.

Gabe: We’re fine for the weekend.

Michelle: We’re fine for this. Yeah. Yeah. We’re good. We’re good.

Gabe: We’re good for at least the end of the month.

Michelle: Yeah totally totally we got this. We got this. No accidents, no heart disease. You know the number one killer. None of that.

Gabe: Well that was depressing.

Michelle: Sorry.

Gabe: I probably do have heart disease. Oh now you gotta bring that up.

Michelle: Oh no. Heart disease and mental illness. The next episode.

Gabe: Please subscribe to our show on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you downloaded this podcast. Please share on social media. Tell all of your friends about it. We don’t have a huge advertising budget, but what we do have is your loyal support. Thank you so much. We’ll see everybody next week on A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast.

Announcer: You’ve been listening to A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast. If you love this episode, don’t keep it to yourself head over to iTunes or your preferred podcast app to subscribe, rate, and review. To work with Gabe go to GabeHoward.com. To work with Michelle, go to Schizophrenic.NYC. For free mental health resources and online support groups, head over to PsychCentral.com. This show’s official web site is PsychCentral.com/BSP. You can e-mail us at show@PsychCentral.com. Thank you for listening, and share widely.

Meet Your Bipolar and Schizophrenic Hosts

GABE HOWARD was formally diagnosed with bipolar and anxiety disorders after being committed to a psychiatric hospital in 2003. Now in recovery, Gabe is a prominent mental health activist and host of the award-winning Psych Central Show podcast. He is also an award-winning writer and speaker, traveling nationally to share the humorous, yet educational, story of his bipolar life. To work with Gabe, visit gabehoward.com.

 

MICHELLE HAMMER was officially diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 22, but incorrectly diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 18. Michelle is an award-winning mental health advocate who has been featured in press all over the world. In May 2015, Michelle founded the company Schizophrenic.NYC, a mental health clothing line, with the mission of reducing stigma by starting conversations about mental health. She is a firm believer that confidence can get you anywhere. To work with Michelle, visit Schizophrenic.NYC.

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