Mental Illness Happy Hour

35 year-old barista (and listener) Charlynn Schmiedt shares about having misophonia which is a "fight or flight" physical response to certain everyday sounds, such as gum chewing, throat clearing etc. and the complications and misunderstanding that arise out of having to interact with people who don't think it is a "real thing".  Charlynn also shares about having an eating disorder in her 20s as well as depression and anxiety...

The podcaster (RISK!) and sketch actor (The State) talks about learning to "own his weirdness".  From being a gay kid in a conservative town to being the black sheep in The State he has battled the paralysis and fear of not being perfect or even good enough...

The anxious only child of a drunk/rager mom and a passive dad shares about her family's combination of material wealth and emotional ignorance/poverty. She talks about her fear of "just being" instead of always "doing", including triathlons & rock climbing, her ongoing battles with disordered eating -especially binging- , her all-or-nothing thinking and struggles with intimacy while being married and having a family. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp online therapy...

The 40 year-old public administrator talks about "losing her humanity" being assigned to work on a criminal defense unit on behalf of sexually violent predators and the anxiety, panic and breakdowns that followed.   She also talks about her chaotic and abusive upbringing which included her father molesting her brother, domestic violence and her coping by becoming a rescuer. This episode is sponsored by the online therapy provider BetterHelp...

The writer and director of Inside Amy Schumer, co-creator of Chapelle's Show and standup comic (3 Mics coming soon on Netflix) talks about being one of ten kids raised by a violent alcoholic father and his struggles today with trusting his feelings and needs and dealing with his anger especially with partners.  He also talks about his relationship with Dave Chapelle and the conflicts and emotions he experienced when Dave decided to stop doing the show...

The 30 year-old freelance journalist and Pilates teacher doesn't have anything dramatic to point to in her life, yet she has struggled to find her voice in life with bad relationships, eating disorders, depression, body dysmorphia, and intense fears of rejection and feeling excluded.  Paul and Amanda peel back the layers to try to find out what's underneath. To learn more about Amanda, go to www.AmandaBloom.com  Follow her on Twitter @AmandaJBloom This episode is sponsored by ZipRecruiter...

At 16 he was playing drums at CBGB and Max's Kansas City as the punk scene exploded. After destroying his career (Pianosaurus, King Missile) he got sober. The PsyD & MFT explains his extensive work with treating trauma victims (especially those with addictions) by using EMDR. He talks about the difficulty people have in calling what happened to them "trauma" and why the label isn't important...

The 31 year-old ex-model (Vogue, Vanity Fair) discusses surviving incest by her mother (who was also an alcoholic with BiPolar and DID aka Multiple Personality Disorder) and a lifetime of battling eating disorders (binging, bulimia, anorexia), psychosis, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, depression, anxiety, alcoholism and drug and sex addiction...

Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have produced and/or directed some of Paul's favorite documentaries, including Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures, 101 Rent Boys and Monica in Black & White. They sit down with Paul to talk about their newest film, Every Brilliant Thing which debuts on HBO Dec 26th and tackles the subject of finding joy in life's little things when we're surrounded by darkness...

The 19 year-old college sophomore opens with a letter she wrote to her 16 year-old self who was so tired of the years of depression, anxiety self-hate, bullying, co-dependence, perfectionism, Crohn's Disease and feeling like a burden that she was on the verge of taking her life.  Her dad, Alan sits in on the session to occasionally share his perspective on her struggles, their family dynamics and what he might have done differently...