Hannah Mansfield is Joel's guest. She's a teacher and recent college grad, trying to figure out the best way to manage a recent bipolar diagnosis. At the time of this conversation, she just had to go on medical leave from her job.
Hannah writes a blog about her mental illness. You can follow it at https://mentalhealthspeaks.wordpress.com/
October 8, 2015: Joel talks with Amanda Rosenberg. She's a comedy writer, and she reminds us how healing it is to laugh. (Yay suicide humor!) She also talks about feeling numb, being falsely diagnosed, wanting friends to just listen, and drawing pictures of the staff while in Stanford psychiatric hospital.
We mention a few articles Amanda wrote for Medium. Here's one of them: http://bit.ly/AR_Medium
It's also Mental Health Awareness Week. Though shouldn't that be every week?
Michele Rosenthal was just 13 when she suffered from a rare allergic reaction that left her a full-body burn victim. For over two decades she suffered from PTSD symptoms before finally self-diagnosing her condition and getting help. She talks to me about the lows—self-blame, anorexia, recurring nightmares—then the high of recovery.
Michele is the founder of HealMyPTSD.com. Her new book is titled Heal Your PTSD: Dynamic Strategies That Work.
Joel chats with 31-year-old Cara Santa Maria, host of the podcast "Talk Nerdy." In this episode, hear how Cara has fought through depression to build a career as a host and correspondent for networks including Al Jazeera America, Pivot, The Weather Channel, and Nat Geo. She helps us understand the chemical side of mental illness, then helps us understand how it's changed her own life.
Website: http://CaraSantaMaria.com
Twitter: @CaraSantaMaria
At just 20 years old, Jessie is a badass filmmaker turning her Crohn’s disease diagnosis into a platform for compassion. For this hour she lets herself be vulnerable. Topics include being chronically ill, feeling isolated, dealing with the emotions around sex, and medication that makes you forget an entire month of your life.
Jessie's short film: http://bit.ly/Jessie_Film
Kickstarter for Jessie's documentary: http://bit.ly/Jessie_Doc
Emily is a motivational speaker. Today, she takes a break from baring her deepest insecurities and fears in front of large crowds to bare her deepest insecurities and fears to us on the podcast. Yet she's not afraid—she's empowered. She talks about growing up and never fitting in, discovering a worldwide community of mental illness survivors, and learning to comfort her inner child. You can't see it, but she's wearing a lot of lime green.
More about Emily: https://about.me/LuvMily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/emilywspeaks
Joel talks with Lucy, who's 28 years old. Lucy talks about her flight anxiety, about how her dad would use drugs in front of her when she was 12, and then about her dad's death when she was in college. At some points, Joel feels like he's going to cry. Lucy does cry. Then they talk about how much they both love to cry. Lucy is a role model.
The 23-year-old talks about the panic attack that prompted him to lose 150 pounds, being by someone's side during their final moments, and the reason we go through life distracting ourselves.
A compilation of four previously-aired conversations, covering bullying, self-harm, death, and emerging from the dark place.
In an episode very relatable to those even without mental illness, the 24-year-old radio host and comedian shares his struggles with everyday life. These include self-doubt, trying to relax, and losing himself in a relationship, plus the anxiety-inducing path of seeking success in entertainment.
Listen to Joel guest on The Cameron Louis Show: http://bit.ly/JKonCameronLouis
Follow Cameron: @TheOnlyCamshaft
Joel and Julia share personal stories submitted by listeners. To share your dark place, visit darkplace.joelkutz.com and click "Tell Your Story."
The 27-year-old talks about identifying as transgender and genderqueer, the bullying and abuse they experienced growing up, feeling suicidal in foster care, and forgiving their father before his death.
The 31-year-old tells her first-hand account of her brother's suicide 11 years ago, the unrelenting flashbacks she experienced, feeling suicidal herself, good and bad therapy, and how her current career helps to manage those feelings.
Do you ever feel alone and wish you had someone who could provide a safe space and a listening ear? Chris Angel Murphy from Teen Line discusses the resource that allows teens to connect with trained peer listeners and get the help they need.
The 23-year-old talks about the back-to-back shocking deaths of two important people in her life, the depression that followed, and the impact the loss has had on her feelings about love, hope, and the future.
The 38-year-old discusses her lifelong emotional relationship with food, how she's been shaped by having an alcoholic father, and how she has redirected her depression and anxiety to help others. Guest co-host: Julia
The 21-year-old student talks about using success as a mask for her depression, admitting herself into psychiatric hold, and her recent experience of emerging from the darkness of suicidal thoughts.
The 24-year-old talks about the dangers of his own perfectionism, the pattern of negative thinking that led to his suicide attempt, and how he now works to reduce the stigma around mental health through his organization Free Minds United.
The 22-year-old comedian talks about struggling with body image as an in-shape male, feeling like he can't connect to others, reconciling a lack of meaning in the universe, and challenging audiences by talking about his depression.
The 23-year-old talks about her always-present underlying fear of her parents' death, going on anti-depressants when she wasn't depressed, and “that time in my formative years when a guy brought a gun to my Sunday school class.”
The 25-year-old talks about living with an addictive pattern of self-harm, realizing what happened to her as a child was sexual abuse, and getting to the point of being able to seek therapy. Plus, an email from listener "Boone."
The 23-year-old aspiring writer talks about finding out her mom had cancer on September 11, 2001, what it’s like to explain anxiety to classmates in high school, and going from not being able to sleep over at friends houses to moving across the country.
The 19-year-old comedian and USC screenwriting student talks about being bullied and socially isolated, how his past has influenced his anxiety and depression, and why everyone battling mental illness should seek treatment. Plus, why comedy is so important to him as self-expression.
The 24-year-old producer and creator of the blog givememora.com discusses being honest about her anxiety in the Persian Jewish community and how a career in entertainment can be harmful to mental health. Plus, she goes over things not to say to someone with anxiety.
The 23-year-old radio producer and many-time game show contestant talks about the panic attacks that began when he believed he ate a toxic piece of blowfish, living with anxiety, and how to help support someone through a crisis.