America is facing a loneliness epidemic. But what exactly is loneliness? Is it social isolation? A lack of intimacy? Is it a choice? In today’s podcast, Gabe and Jackie tackle these questions and share their own thoughts on loneliness. Gabe also unveils the 7 types of loneliness, one of these being “no-animal loneliness.” But is there really such a thing? Jackie is doubtful. Tune in to hear a nuanced discussion of what it means to be lonely, and see if you can relate to one of the 7 types.

Rich celebrity on TV: “Have you ever been sad? You might have depression.” If scenarios like this piss you off, you might want to tune in to our show. In this episode, Gabe expresses his extreme distaste for celebrities posing as the “face” of mental illness. He feels further validated when Mr. Peanutbutter, a happy character from the Netflix show BoJack Horseman, becomes the new face of depression -- first as the “sad dog” meme and then as a depression spokesperson.

Comorbidity is the presence of one or more additional conditions co-occurring with a primary condition. In this episode, host schizophrenic Rachel Star Withers with her cohost Gabe Howard will be discussing comorbidity with schizophrenia. Comorbidity is associated with worse health outcomes, more complex clinical management and increased health care costs. Occupational therapist Brock Cook will be joining us to discuss ways that he works with people with schizophrenia to manage multiple...

Have you ever been so pissed off, in a state of absolute rage, and ended up saying or doing something completely over-the-top -- which you totally regretted later? Or do you know someone who has? In this episode, Gabe and Jackie discuss what goes on in the mind of a person (particularly someone with bipolar disorder) with a flaming temper. Gabe talks about his own blind rage moment at work and how he managed to put it behind him (after a mega-apology, of course).

Sex addict. Nympho. You’ve likely heard these words used for a person with hypersexuality, but what exactly is this condition? Is hypersexuality really a symptom of a mental disorder or is it just a super high libido? Where does one draw the line between liking (or loving) sex and being hypersexual? Join Gabe and Jackie as they tackle this often misunderstood topic and hear Gabe’s own personal experiences with hypersexuality as a debilitating symptom of his bipolar disorder.

Incontinence While Sleeping -- or "pooping" the bed -- isn’t as uncommon as you may think. While this unexpected night time activity may be embarrassing, it doesn’t have to completely derail your mental health. There can be many causes for sleeping incontinence but you'll never discover what they are if you're unable to move past the psychological trauma. This week we’re sharing honest, personal experiences discussing how to cope without dying of embarrassment. Listen Now!

Should we be talking so plainly about suicidal ideation? What are the benefits of assessing our thought patterns over a period of time? Join us as we discuss the Columbia-Suicide Severity Scale screening tool. We tackle this sensitive topic after Jackie was surprised by a suicide assessment at a physician’s office. Rare trigger warning this week for a tough subject, as we explore talking openly about suicidal ideation.

Medication for your brain - whether you’re newly diagnosed or have been in treatment for years, you may have doubts if drugs are right for you. You’re not alone. Jackie and Gabe get real about reasons people want to quit psych meds and why our brains convince us to quit despite the benefits of taking medication. They discuss consequences you may not be aware of from just stopping your meds and why you should always involve your doctors, no matter what your decision, when it comes to medication.

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.

You’ve just been diagnosed with bipolar disorder… now what? The week we interview a young woman named Emma, a twenty-something who is fresh off a bipolar diagnosis and working hard to navigate her way through finding the right medications, a treatment plan that works, and navigating tough family conversations.

There is no time more joyous and stressful as the end of year holidays. As we fast approach the holidays this year it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll navigate family parties and other familial obligations. In this episode, we give our best tips for making holiday parties less stressful and how to decide if not going is the best option for you. It’s rough out there, but we care about you and we wish you a happy, healthy holiday season.

After receiving two chronic illness diagnosis by the age of 24, it really was no surprise that host Jackie Zimmerman also started to experience depression. Unable to tackle both, Jackie chose to focus on her physical health, letting her mental health deteriorate quickly -- and dangerously. In this episode we discuss the mind-body connection and how when your body is sick, your mind can quickly follow.

In part two of this series, we go into more detail about Gabe’s inpatient hospital stay and focus on what he was thinking while he was hospitalized and what he learned after he was discharged. We talked about what to do if you feel like you need to be hospitalized, the steps you need to take in order to be admitted and the obstacles involved with getting the help you may need.

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.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an inpatient in a psych ward? In this two-part series, we go into detail about Gabe’s inpatient stay starting with the events that lead him to be an inpatient, and what his days were like after he was admitted. We talk about common misconceptions that you may have around what happens while you’re admitted, what your day looks like and who you’d spend time with.

The feeling of abandonment can span through all types of relationships and in this episode, we focus on friendships. Have you ever had a close friend abandon you or have you ever exited a friendship without notice? The emotions and actions surrounding the abandonment of friends can be complex and hurtful, but they are very real and can hurt deeply. In this episode, Jackie recounts friendships that were very important to her and how she’s handling the loss of them.

While therapy is often used as one method of treatment for mental illness, it still has a large cloud of mystery around it. Due to its portrayal in movies and television shows there are a lot of misconceptions about what it means to go to therapy, what a session looks like and what the benefits to therapy can be. In this episode, we talk about some of the common myths surrounding therapy, touch on the different types of therapy and why Jackie loves therapy so much.

Each Halloween we encounter the same debate: are haunted asylums stigmatizing or are they simply entertainment? While some may think haunted asylums are tasteless at worst, they don’t feel like they’re an actual detriment to the mental illness community. In this episode, we look at this argument from both sides and really dig into what happens when we use mental illness as a theme for entertainment. Are you offended by haunted asylums and do you feel like they harm our community?

Psychiatric medications are the religion and politics of the mental health advocacy world -- don't bring them up unless you want a fight to break out. Luckily, here at Not Crazy, we don't shy away from confrontation. In this episode, we cover the good, the bad, and the ugly surrounding medications. Like whether or not you should take them. We tackle side effects like feeling numb and sexual dysfunction and share our personal histories with medication therapy. Listen now!

The word "schizophrenia" tends to conjure ideas of hallucinations, delusions, insane asylum in the general public's mind. Most people don't think of the boring parts that consume many with schizophrenia, like lacking the motivation to get out of bed, to make friends... Host Rachel Star Withers, a diagnosed schizophrenic, and co-host Gabe Howard discuss avolition and ways to help motivate loved ones.

Did the movie Joker portray mental illness correctly and does it matter? We passionately go over the movie Joker from the lense of people living with mental illness and discuss whether or not there are implications of making a movie like this. Does it help us or hurt us? What if it does both? Spoiler Alert: You don’t need to see Joker to appreciate this conversation but we do go over the plot and reveal some important scenes from the movie.

Are you so happy that you can’t understand depression? Not us! While Gabe and Jackie can't relate to that level of positivity, there are lots of people in the world who simply can’t fathom what depression feels like. Despite their best efforts, naturally happy people can have a hard time understanding depression and in Episode 2, we discuss how to explain depression to happy people, including both of our spouses who are, to be honest, annoyingly peppy.

In the first full episode of Not Crazy, we learn a little more about the new co-host, Jackie, and her history with chronic illness and depression. Gabe rants about person-first language and how nitpicking verbiage is distracting from more pressing matters in the lives of those living with mental illness. Overall, we decide that “crazy” is not a dirty word and there are other, more time-sensitive, things we should be focusing on that can benefit the mental health community.

One show ends and another begins. Don't unsubscribe just yet! In the final episode of A Bipolar, A Schizophrenic and a Podcast, Gabe and Michelle reminisce on past episodes, and Michelle tells us what her plans are for the future. Later, Michelle gives some words of wisdom to Gabe’s new co-host, Jackie Zimmerman. We get to know Jackie and discuss how Gabe and Jackie will be taking over BSP, but with a slightly new direction and a new name, which will be released in next week’s episode!

Everyone complains about work. Having to go to work every day, working too much, not getting paid enough- working can be challenging for so many reasons. Today's episode of Inside Schizophrenia focuses on working while having schizophrenia.