Inside Mental Health

Medication, Therapy, Hospitalization, Electroconvulsive Therapy- what are the treatment strategies for schizophrenia? How do you convince someone they need help? What if someone refuses treatment? Schizophrenic Rachel Star Withers with co-host Gabe Howard reveal different treatments they have undergone over the years with various outcomes. Guest Barbara Thompson, with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, shares support options for people with schizophrenia and their family in the community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you receive Medicaid? Are you age 55 or older -- or will you be soon? Today’s guest, Rachel Corbett, author of the article “Medicaid's Dark Secret” in the October 2019 issue of The Atlantic, has some shocking news: The government may seek to pay itself back for your healthcare costs after you die. This could mean seizing any assets you hope to leave behind for your children, including your home. Tune in to hear the details of this little-known fact nestled in the application’s fine print. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The holidays are here! A time we set aside to focus on loved ones, blessings and joy. But we all know these weeks can be some of the most stressful of the year, especially if you are planning a get-together with difficult relatives. So how can we make the holidays run more smoothly? In today’s episode, PsychCentral.com’s founder, Dr. John Grohol, shares tips on planning ahead, dealing with a difficult family member and handling common holiday issues such as overeating and overdrinking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s age of digital dating, the act of ghosting -- ending a relationship by suddenly stopping communication with a person -- has become more common, and even normalized to some degree. For the person being ghosted, however, it can feel incredibly painful and confusing. So why do people ghost others? Is it out of cruelty? Listen as Dr. John Grohol, founder of Psych Central, discusses the act of ghosting, why people do it, and whether it’s ever ok to ghost someone, including your therapist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we start preventing mass violence in this country? Should we focus on mental illness? What is the link between the two anyway? Listen in as our guest, the medical director of the National Council on Behavioral Health, shares surprising answers to these questions and more from the new comprehensive report “Mass Violence in America: Causes, Impacts, and Solutions.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What exactly is psychosis? What happens in the brain of a person with schizophrenia who is hallucinating? Schizophrenic Rachel Star Withers shares her personal hallucinations and delusions and Dr. Joseph Goldberg, who specializes in researching what goes on in the brain when someone is experiencing psychosis, joins to break down how the brain functions during psychotic episodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The centuries-old phrase “boys will be boys,” is often used to excuse boys and men of acting in rough, noisy or chauvinistic ways -- traits commonly associated with masculinity. But is this healthy? Is it time for us to evolve our idea of masculinity? Today’s guest introduces us to the idea of “sacred masculinity,” a balanced state of being which integrates both healthy masculine and feminine aspects -- such as open emotional expression -- ultimately allowing men to reach their full potential. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anxiety is the enemy, right? Or is your body just trying to tell you something? If you struggle with anxiety and aren’t sure how to handle it, this episode is for you. Today’s guest, therapist and reverend Connie L. Habash, offers several key steps to help you work with your anxiety, rather than against it. She shares how to sit with your emotions, feel them in your body and listen with compassion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does your brain seem to have a “mind” of its own? Does it jump in the driver’s seat and take you places you’d rather not go? In today’s episode, a licensed psychologist explains how we get trapped in cycles of ruminations -- those dark, repetitive thoughts that won’t leave us alone -- and how to escape this cycle by living with intention. When we realize that every decision we make is just one option of many, it reduces our anxiety and makes us feel more in control of our lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does a certain song take you back to your childhood? Maybe your dad played it on family road trips, and now it never fails to make you smile. We know music has the power to elicit specific emotions and to spark feel-good neurotransmitters in the brain. But what if we could harness the power of music and make it a part of therapy? Today’s guest is a psychotherapist who creates personalized music soundtracks to help her clients change their brain chemistry and bring out their inner “badass.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices