Back from the Abyss: Psychiatry in Stories

Chris successfully hid his increasingly severe depression throughout middle and high school, but by his first year of college he could no longer ignore the horrifying signs that his brain was losing touch with reality. Inanimate objects began to radiate into his thoughts, and suicide seemed the only way to escape. Fortunately Chris took the scariest leap of all and began to open up to a therapist about what was happening in his mind, leading to an exploration of shame, a reformulation of the self, and finally the unexpectedly powerful healing of ketamine. Dr. H interview-- "Recognizing psychosis", on Rural Emergency Med podcasthttps://www.ruralem.org/2019/03/31/episode-18-recognizing-psychosis/Ketamine resources/informationhttps://www.kriyainstitute.comLinks-- Delaying treatment leads to worsening and more difficult to treat depressive, bipolar, and psychotic illnesshttps://www.nature.com/articles/mp201233https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5608308/https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/cfaa-oyd022318.phphttps://www.nationalelfservice.net/treatment/systems/early-intervention-in-psychosis/outcomes-in-first-episode-manic-psychosis/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0920996412004987Dr. H and Back from the Abysshttps://www.craigheacockmd.com

A wise psychotherapy supervisor once said:  "There are only two things a therapist can do...hold...or poke...lots of therapists are good at holding...not so many are confident enough to poke...the good therapist has mastered the art of both."Actually, there are at LEAST 4-5 other crucial mental processes that an effective therapist should be doing more or less simultaneously...and that's no easy task.This mini-episode explores the hold vs poke dilemma, why this matters so much to anyone who has come to a therapist for meaningful change, and some tangible markers for whether your therapist is up for the challenge of you.Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com

Ellie grew up in small town Montana and found a highly effective way to cope with the terrible pain of adolescence, family chaos, and depression. Unfortunately, her eating disorder took on a life of its own and almost destroyed her. This is her hero's journey, not of "recovery" per se, but rather of courage, grit, and fierce intention to construct a new self, and ultimately, find a path into the light.Resources on eating disordersBooksEating in the Light of the Moon by Anita JohnsonLife without ED by Jenni SchaeferSick Enough by Jennifer Gaudanihttps://www.nationaleatingdisorders.orgFor ketamine resources see episode 1 (Strawberries)Dr. Craig Heacock is an adolescent/adult psychiatrist and addiction specialist in Colorado. He was a co-therapist in the Phase 3 trial of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD and has particular interest in the use of ketamine and other psychedelics to treat severe mood disorders and PTSD.  He is a graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and did his psychiatry training at Brown University.Dr. Hhttps://www.craigheacockmd.com

In this very first episode of BFTA we explore one of the most frightening parts of the abyss, coming face to face with the desperate need to die. Elizabeth woke up five days after her near fatal suicide attempt and found herself with another chance--  this is her story of finding a new way to live and be in this world.Helpful websites on:Bipolar disorderhttps://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtmlClozapinehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25346322https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(16)30081-5/fulltexthttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7883728Ketaminehttps://www.knowablemagazine.org/article/mind/2019/listening-ketaminehttps://www.scientificamerican.com/article/getting-the-inside-dope-on-ketamine-rsquo-s-mysterious-ability-to-rapidly-relieve-depression/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28749092Dr. H and Back from the Abysshttps://www.craigheacockmd.comDr. Craig Heacock is an adolescent/adult psychiatrist and addiction specialist in Colorado. He was a co-therapist in the Phase 3 trial of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD and has particular interest in the use of ketamine and other psychedelics to treat severe mood disorders and PTSD.  He is a graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and did his psychiatry training at Brown University.