Inside Mental Health

In this episode of the Psych Central Show, hosts Gabe Howard and Vincent M. Wales welcome Psych Central CEO and founder Dr. John Grohol to discuss marijuana and its potential benefits for treating various types of mental illnesses, from major depression to bipolar disorder. Dr. Grohol explains why there has been so little research in this field and why it will be quite some time before a significant body of data is accumulated. Also discussed is the question of why many people seem to believe cannabis is a “miracle drug,” and which age group should be most careful about the use of marijuana (or any mind-altering substance).   SHOW HIGHLIGHTS   [2:40]   Will marijuana help someone with major depression? [6:12]   Why is there so little research on the effects of medical marijuana? [8:26]   What are the detrimental effects of marijuana? [11:18] Why do people believe it to be a miracle drug? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Psych Central Show, hosts Gabe Howard and Vincent M. Wales tackle Christmas. Specifically, how to survive it. For all the wonderful aspects of holidays, they are not without stressful aspects, especially for people who live with anxiety or depression. In this podcast, you’ll learn about some specific triggers that can make the holidays stressful, and how to mitigate or even avoid them. Such triggers include being alone over the holiday, false expectations we seem to have, toxic people, and the stress that comes along with our bank statements. Listen in to hear some helpful suggestions, and have a safe and happy holiday season.   SURVIVING CHRISTMAS SHOW HIGHLIGHTS [3:00]   Gabe’s plan for surviving Christmas [3:55]   Being alone on Christmas [5:24]   The false expectations of Christmas [7:42]   Is it okay to not care about Christmas? [10:02] The stress of overspending [13:34] Avoiding toxic people [16:58] The reason for the season Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Psych Central Show, hosts Gabe Howard and Vincent M. Wales discuss online counseling. Joining them is Haesue Jo of BetterHelp.com, which offers online counseling and is also the sponsor of The Psych Central Show. In addition to answering specific questions about Better Help, the conversation discusses how online counseling differs from in-person therapy, what types of issues are (and are not) good fits for this type of counseling, and what someone can expect from this kind of service. Also discussed is why some people are still skeptical of online therapy (or other types of virtual medical services) and why they shouldn’t be.   ONLINE COUNSELING SHOW HIGHLIGHTS [1:32]   What exactly is online therapy? [5:53]   Why are some people so skeptical of online therapy? [10:37] What is online therapy NOT good for? [11:57] What about insurance and how much does it cost? [15:38] How many counselors and patients does BetterHelp have? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Psych Central Show, hosts Gabe Howard and Vincent M. Wales welcome Jessie Close, sister of acclaimed actress Glenn Close. Jessie shares the story of her son’s diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, followed by her own diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Spurred by a desire to make people more aware of the stigma surrounding mental illness, Jessie reached out to Glenn for help. The result of this was the founding of Bring Change to Mind, a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging dialogue about mental health, and to raising awareness, understanding, and empathy. Jessie tells of the making of the incredible public service announcement, directed by Ron Howard, and featuring Glenn, Jessie, and Jessie’s son, Calen.   JESSIE CLOSE SHOW HIGHLIGHTS [1:55]   Jessie tells of her diagnosis, late in life [4:58]  How her son’s diagnosis affected her own recovery [9:25]   Jessie talks about Bring Change to Mind and the PSA featuring Glenn Close and directed by Ron Howard [17:23]  How worried was Glenn that her activism would affect her career? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Psych Central Show, hosts Gabe Howard and Vincent M. Wales welcome as their guest, Rachel Star, a stunt girl and YouTube sensation who lives with schizophrenia. Rachel had schizophrenia as a child, but was not diagnosed until her early twenties. She describes what it was like as a child and the moment she realize that the things she saw weren’t seen by others. Later in life, as an early adopter of online media, she began posting videos of herself doing outlandish things. The videos became quite popular, even being studied in classes at universities! And yes, she talks about being set on fire.   RACHEL STAR SHOW HIGHLIGHTS [3:29]   Rachel realized no one else actually sees monsters under the bed. [4:49]   Finally, the diagnosis. [6:00]   Telling the parents… on a trampoline. [7:35]   How her father finally “got it.” [10:10] Rachel Star: Human Torch [13:55] How Rachel became a stuntwoman. [14:10] From YouTube star to college study subject. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Psych Central Show, hosts Gabe Howard and Vincent M. Wales discuss the pros and cons on “retail therapy,” the practice of shopping solely for the purpose of making ourselves feel better. They discuss the many benefits of such purchases, while also warning of the dangers of “comfort purchases.” Gabe warns especially of such purchases when in the manic phase of disorder, leading to hyperspending. Each of them share personal stories of their own purchases, both large and (comparatively) small. Other items discussed are oniomania, why we feel a “need” for retail therapy, window shopping, and some unexpected fringe benefits of retail therapy.   RETAIL THERAPY SHOW HIGHLIGHTS [1:43]   What triggers the need for retail therapy? [5:00]   What’s the difference between “good” retail therapy and “bad”? [7:40]   Retail Therapy + Bipolar Disorders = Hyperspending [10:26] What is oniomania? [12:09] My therapist made me buy a Rolex [15:21] Buying nostalgia on eBay [19:02] The fringe benefits of retail therapy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Psych Central Show, hosts Gabe Howard and Vincent M. Wales, inspired by the TV show, Kevin Probably Saves the World, discuss how exactly one would go about choosing a small number of people to help them rule the world. They discuss many of the different factors that should be considered when choosing the composition of a group, including the balance between the sexes, races, ideology, skill sets, and more. It also touches on nepotism, cronyism, and other personal biases, and examines the ways in which we come to agreements and reach decisions as a group.    RULING THE WORLD SHOW HIGHLIGHTS   [1:14]   How would Gabe choose others to help him rule the world?  [3:10]   Should you pick others who would agree with you?  [4:01]   Should you choose those who share your political views?  [5:09]   Should you have an equal number of men and women?  [6:18]   What about group balance and decision-making?  [6:46]   A few words about consensus decision-making and elections.  [11:37] What about including people you hate?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Psych Central Show, hosts Gabe Howard and Vincent M. Wales welcome back Dr. Ramani Durvasula to discuss narcissism… this time, in the workplace. Everyone believes they’ve got a narcissist as a coworker and, often, they’re correct. In this episode, you’ll learn how to tell if your coworker is a narcissist, how common this is (especially among executives), and how to handle them, even if it’s your boss. You’ll learn about gaslighting and the link between narcissism and low self-esteem. Dr. Ramani also warns what can happen to a person who remains in the sort of toxic workplace environment created by narcissists.   WORKPLACE NARCISSISM SHOW HIGHLIGHTS   [2:02]               What exactly is narcissism? [3:48]               How common is narcissism among business executives? [4:35]               What if your boss is a narcissist? [6:19]               What is “gaslighting”? [8:33]               What sort of behavior do narcissists exhibit in the workplace? [11:57]             What’s the connection between low self-esteem and narcissism? [16:08]             Can a person with low self-esteem become a narcissist?   Join our Facebook group! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Psych Central Show, hosts Gabe Howard and Vincent M. Wales welcome Dr. Lori Russell-Chapin, who shares her experiences working in the field of neurofeedback. Specifically, she speaks on how technology – especially the intense use of handheld technology such as texting on smartphones – is affecting our brains. Dr. Russell-Chapin describes the differences that can be seen in the brain waves of a heavy texter as opposed to a “normal” baseline brain, how we seem to be losing our paralinguistic abilities, and offers insight to ways in which we can achieve a better balance in our lives by changing the way in which we use such technology.   TEXTING SHOW HIGHLIGHTS   [1:13]               How texting is changing the structure and function of our brains. [6:41]               Are we losing our paralinguistic abilities because of texting? [11:30]             How does one get into the field of studying brain function? [12:51]             What do we mean by “dysregulation” of the brain? [14:04]             How do we know what the proper baseline is for brain function? [18:47]             How do we achieve better balance? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Psych Central Show, hosts Gabe Howard and Vincent M. Wales welcome guest Brent Williams, author of Out of the Woods, a graphic novel that tells the story of his battle with depression. Williams, a human rights attorney in New Zealand, “hit a wall” that derailed his life. It took years for him to understand that depression was the cause and what he needed to do about it. He speaks of how journaling was a great help to him in the recovery process and how it led to the idea of doing a graphic novel. He also speaks of how his battle with cancer was “a breeze” compared to fighting depression.   SHOW HIGHLIGHTS [3:25]               Hitting the wall. [4:02]               Why it took years to understand that it was depression that was ruining his life. [9:01]               How journaling helped in his recovery from depression. [13:43]             Brent talks about the graphic novel process. [16:27]             Cancer was “a breeze” compared to depression. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices