Mental Illness Happy Hour

The 43 year-old comedy writer opens up about his idyllic childhood, and a couple of traumatic events he believes contribute to his isolating and fighting the demons of depression while being single, unemployed and living alone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The first generation Indian-American comedian opens up about her low self-esteem, perfectionism, depression, anxiety, eating disorder, the trap of becoming the "good child" and the constant struggle to not compare herself to others. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The pansexual Iraqi war veteran talks about his plans to come out to his homophobic family, growing up with a mother who picked terrible men,  his deadbeat dad and meeting a half-brother & doing a joint road trip to confront the father that abandoned them both. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marriage and Family Therapist Erika Holmes answers listener questions from Facebook and Twitter.  Topics include Eating Disorders, Borderline Personality Disorder, PTSD therapies, Neurofeedback and potential damage caused by parents who are religious zealots. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The comedian/burlesque dancer talks about the power, pitfalls and rush of performing with and without her clothes on, including being a sex worker at a "jack shack" to make ends meet.  She opens up about her low self-esteem, struggles with her dad and the desire for truth no matter how bleak it may be.  She also shares about being attracted to unavailable men who hide their relationship with her from their friends and family.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The former Second City improviser turned drug & alcohol counselor talks about his mother's suicide when he was 12, coming out at 16 (in 1981), getting physically sober but being emotionally toxic and being fired from the prestigious improv company and finally having to change. They talk about Jimmy's breakthrough in doing EMDR and CBT therapy.   Paul also shares some listener emails and surveys around the topic of suicide given the nature of this week's Robin Williams tragedy.   On the surface it might sound like a dark episode but rest assured it is ultimately hopeful. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The photographer and activist talks about her bookwormish childhood, coming out in high school, the abusive relationship she couldn't bear to leave and her project which documents the stories of suicide attempt survivors (she is one) Live Through This. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Fibromyalgia, ME, etc) a purely physical ailment or is there also an emotional component related to trauma.  Pamela shares about being an incest survivor as well as the challenges of living with CFS and  being a people pleaser.  She also shares about raising a child with Selective Mutism and learning to be emotionally intimate with her supportive husband. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Recently diagnosed with BiPolar II, the actor and director of Jason Nash is Married talks about his fear of being just like his dad, his inability to fully enjoy what others seem to be able to easily enjoy, including being married and a stay at-home dad. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The writer/performer shares about being raised by a violent and mentally unstable mother who refused to take meds, often leading to 911 calls and police.  She also talks about her own depression, anxiety, perfectionism and relationship struggles. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The actor/singer and fiance of past guest Chemda talks about being a trans male (male but born into a female body) and despite his religious upbringing (his father is a minister) coming to embrace being transgender. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At 40, Jilll took up competitive boxing to work through the childhood PTSD caused by her mother's physical abuse.  She shares about living with depression, aiding other female fighters and making her documentary Fight Like a Girl. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 26 year-old law student talks about his struggles with addiction especially bulimia, assuming the role of caretaker for his alcoholic parents when he was a child, a jarring move to a racially intolerant "Christian" city, and the peace he has today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The performer/writer/director best known for her popular YouTube channel opens up about growing up with a Japanese father and Filipino mother where mistakes were not tolerated.  She also shares about her sister's suicide, lying, drugs & sex. Visit Anna's Youtube Channel, her Facebook Page, her Twitter Feed or her website. PillPack sponsors this show.  To check it out (and to help the podcast) go to Pillpack.com/happyhour. BrainHQ sponsors this show.  For 10% off a monthly or yearly subscription BrainHQ.com/happyhour See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 25 year-old Taiwanese American shares about his co-dependency, painful breakups and perfectionism as well as the irony that as a trained therapist he knows he should establish boundaries with his mother but cannot bring himself to do so. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 36 year-old mother shares about the middle-class version of Cops that was her childhood, her Borderline Personality Disorder, suicide attempts and the drinking problem she can't bring herself to confront despite its effect on her children & boyfriend. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Canadian listener talks about the masks she feels she had to wear to deal with childhood sadness, being raped at 16, and experiencing postpartum depression.  She talks about the support groups & the health care system that saved her life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

His childhood was a flurry of moving all over Europe and South America, his parents treated him like "Good Cop Bad Cop" and he has no idea why he felt like a "little pervert" as a kid.  They talk about manipulation, addiction, mania & a lot more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The mother, wife and podcaster(For Crying Out Loud) talks about being pushed to be a child actor, the psychosis that mental illness brought upon her brother and mother, abusing Vicodin in an attempt to deal with postpartum depression and living with her husband Adam. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The writer/director (Fridays, Curb Your Enthusiasm) shares about being sexually shamed, his fear of people and the drug and alcohol battles that took the great career he had been given at 20 and burned it to the ground, leaving him homeless. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.