What They Don't Tell You About Bipolar Disorder and Hospitalizations... | ep. 199 with Gabe Howard
Jan 18, 2024
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A podcast featuring an honest conversation between Kati and Gabe Howard about bipolar disorder, hospitalizations, and symptoms that are often overlooked. They discuss treatment options, managing symptoms, and breaking down mental health stigma. Audience questions explore breakthrough moments in bipolar disorder and experiences in the hospital. The podcast delves into the complexities of psychiatric hospitalizations, less discussed symptoms of bipolar disorder, and the importance of proactive management and seeking support.
Open conversations about mental health are essential to challenging stigma and promoting understanding.
Delayed diagnosis of mental illness can result from difficulties in differentiating symptoms from normal hormonal changes, emphasizing the need for early intervention and awareness.
Psychiatric hospitalization, while aiming for safety, can lead to powerlessness and trauma, highlighting the importance of balancing safety measures with individual autonomy in mental health care.
Deep dives
The Importance of Open Mental Health Conversations
Having open and honest discussions about mental health is crucial in challenging stigma and fostering understanding. By sharing personal experiences, individuals like Gabe Howard encourage real conversations and help to normalize discussing mental health issues.
Challenges of Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis
Gabe's journey with bipolar disorder highlights the complexities of diagnosis. Despite experiencing symptoms from a young age, his diagnosis came after being involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital. The delayed diagnosis sheds light on the challenges of differentiating between hormonal changes and mental illness.
Navigating Mental Health Hospitalization
Hospitalization for mental health issues raises complex ethical considerations and challenges. While it serves to ensure safety and stabilization, the involuntary nature of psychiatric hospitalization can lead to feelings of powerlessness and trauma. Decisions around hospital stays involve balancing safety measures with individual autonomy, emphasizing the need for nuanced perspectives and understanding in mental health care.
Navigating Trauma and Stigma in Mental Health Care
The podcast highlights the traumatic experience individuals face when being taken to hospitals by police for mental health evaluations. Discussing the distress and confusion these situations cause, the speaker emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the trauma associated with such experiences. It underscores the need to offer therapeutic support to individuals post-trauma to normalize seeking therapy for processing and coping with hospitalization-related distress.
Addressing Stigmatized Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder
The episode delves into the stigmatized symptoms of bipolar disorder, focusing on examples like overspending, hypersexuality, and breaking promises. It sheds light on the shame and challenges individuals with bipolar disorder face due to these symptoms. By sharing personal experiences and patient anecdotes, the discussion aims to normalize these symptoms, encourage open conversations, and advocate for seeking professional help and treatment to manage and address them effectively.
Today Kati interviews Gabe Howard! He is a mental health advocate, speaker, and host of the inside bipolar podcast. They discuss bipolar disorder, being hospitalized for our mental illness, and the symptoms of bipolar disorder no one wants to talk about. They have an honest conversation about treatment options, managing symptoms, and breaking down that mental health stigma.
AUDIENCE QUESTIONS
1. Hello, I have bipolar 2 and was wondering if he ever felt like he had a "breakthrough" in his bipolar disorder. Not necessarily a manic episode, but a true moment of "oh....I CAN live life like this and it CAN be enjoyable". I recently had this and it's been life changing for me. I look at every day I'm alive so differently now.
2. Hi Gabe, have you gone into the hospital voluntarily or not? Are you allowed to leave when you want or do the doctors get to decide how long to keep you? Has being in the hospital been helpful or has it been more helpful to stay outpatient?Checkout Kati on Gabe's Podcast: https://megaphone.link/RVOHE7584755428
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