In Episode 54: Jay’s Journey, Part II, we continue our conversation with Jay Shifman, a storyteller who has made it his life’s mission to fight the stigma that surrounds mental health, especially at the intersection of suicide and addiction. For more on this in Jay’s own words, check out Jay’s TEDx talk: Shame Much of the model for treating those who suffer from addiction contains elements of blame and shame. “You should have thought harder …
In episode 53: Jay’s Journey, Part I, we discuss prescription mood stabilizers like anti-anxiety medicines. You can’t even turn on the TV without being bombarded with ads for all sorts of medical remedies. To me, the most interesting part of these commercials is when the voice in the background quickly goes over potential side effects, sometimes including fatal conditions. Sure, I would like to make myself look younger, improve my vitality, cure my toenail fungus, …
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Episode 52: The Science Behind Suicide focuses on some of the important theoretical and empirical findings that form our understanding of suicide. You might think that suicide, a human response to great psychological stress, recorded even in ancient literature, has long been studied by mental health professionals. This actually is not true. Psychiatry and clinical psychology long neglected this topic. As with the general public, the discussion of suicide was largely avoided, even in professional circles. Enter …
In Episode 51 : What Have We Learned About Suicide Prevention? we reviewed some of the most important things that we have learned about the prevention of suicide. The episode is partly a celebration of how much we have addressed since launching the podcast. It is also a pause to reflect on some of the most important lessons we have learned. As we have repeatedly say in the podcast, good mental health is the best prevention …
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In episode 49: Juvenile Justice & Suicide, Part I and episode 50: Juvenile Justice & Suicide, Part II, we discuss group therapy as a form of treatment for incarcerated youth. Our guest, Dr. Leah Saulter describes some of the topics that come up in this group therapy format. For example, participants are required to discuss the negative impact of their crimes on the victims. Dr. Saulter describes these moments as some of the most powerful tools …
