For those of you that don’t understand about the experience of depression, I have two websites that might help folks get a grip on it.     The first is Will O’Neil’s Actual Sunlight.    It is a fictional narrative game about the experience of living and trying to exist in a depressive state.     Another expression of the experience is an old school HTML website called Deprression Quest.   It is an interactive experience about living with depression.   What am I talking about this?    In this episode, a word or two about Heather Armstrong and a few resources that might help you understand depression a little bit more and a resource or two to help some of you stay on this side of the life fence. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.  Resources Mentioned:  Washington Post article about Heather Armstrong.  The website Live Through This Will O’Neil’s Actual Sunlight   Old school HTML interactive narrative Depression Quest  Disclaimer:   Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements.   Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.  This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.   

ARP Pebble in the Road - Fight the Reaper

This is the Anxiety Road Podcast, the involuntary journey in finding treatment options for people that have anxiety and panics attacks with side trips into related mental health disorders. 

This podcast is treatment agnostic.

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

There is a lot of turbulence in the mental health space. All kinds of mischief is going on and a portion of Americans who are trying to go back to 1862.    It is crazy but I don't think that is a strong enough word for it.  In this episode, I have a very simplistic definition of what is an AI Language Model and what is a scripted AI chatbot and a wee bit on what is or could be a generative A.I. chatbot or treatment option.   We need to understand what is happening in the entrepreneurial mental health market place.   There is a collision of problems;   Not enough mental health providers. Financial access to mental health care. Geographical and transportation access to mental health care. and a whole bunch more....  There are serious, thoughtful ethically motivated research into using new technologies to provide access to anxiety and other types of mental health treatment.    And then there is the bum rush of companies and private investors wanting to slap something up against a wall and hopes it sticks around long enough to make a profit.   Ooh, almost forgot - opportunistic low life vermin as well.   Case in point.    I recently got an email that told me that mental health is the next hot niche. And that for x amount of money, I could have oodles of videos explaining about, mental health and wellness topics.   My best and unsupported guess is that somebody somewhere has created a bunch of A.I. videos with A.I. voices that scraped content from multiple places and then have an AI video generator to create into various social media video formats.   This type of income enhancement is nothing new. And the offer of private label content is a old as the printing press. Rich guy want to show he is impressive. Hires ghost writer to enhance his reputation.    We are being flooded with crappy content for profit.    My fellow travelers on the road, it is rough but our power and defense is being informed.     Let's get to it.  If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.  Resources Mentioned:  Rose Cartwright's question everything she had been told about mental illness. This article appears in The Guardian.    Common Craft video on Large Language Models on YouTube - This video does not have narration. It is a readable video.    IBM definition of What is a Chatbot?    MedPage Today article on The Dark Side of AI in Mental Health High demand for AI training data may increase unethical practices in collecting patient data, by Michael DePeau-Wilson.      Disclaimer:   Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements.   Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.  This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.   

ARP 354 Basic Info on A.I. and Mental Health Apps

This is a pebble in the road about the ADAA On-line Support Group.    Sometimes you need to connect to an actual human being. Or a group of people that share your problem or have similar questions.    Lots of things happening and I'm trying to adjust to them. In future episodes, probably starting with this one, there will be a transcript available. It will be 90% accurate. If your podcast player supports transcripts, it should be visible.   Meaning, that most of what I mention in the episode is present but after I do a bit of editing, tweaking and finding out that I made a big honking mistake it might be a little different.   It is the right thing to do but I have to find a way to consistently do it. And then go back and do it for the older episodes as well.    It is humbling. So many typos and lapses of thought.    Yikes.   If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.  Resources Mentioned:  Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) has a support community using the HealthUnlocked service. You must first sign into the group.    Please create a second email or alias email. In my opinion, using Google or Facebook logins can lead to cookies and tracking. This could expose you to multiple ads and undesired communication.  Disclaimer:   Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements.   Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.  This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 

ARP 353 - ADAA Online Support Groups

In this episode a look at breathing necklaces, which are supposed to help you control your breathing. These things irk me. It isn't that they don't have a purpose. But you don't need them.   It is ok to want one or have it around your neck as a touchpoint or you really do understand how to use them. That is what I wanted to communicate in the recording.   I had to cut a lot of stuff out of the episode. I was going on and on about anxiety gizmo advertorials in traditional and on-line magazines.     Somebody told them about affiliate links and the blurring of editorial and advertising content.  Some of them did not get the memo on the correct way to do this.   A lot of blurring and smudging going on.  If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.  Resources Mentioned:   National Health Service has a page on breathing exercises for stress.    From Harvard Health Publishing, Relaxation techniques: Breath control helps quell errant stress response.    From Mindful Magazine and their website, an audio recording of a 12-minute 4--7-8 breathing practice.     Every Mind Matters - NHS 2 minute-ish Breathing Practice      Disclaimer:   Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements.   Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.  This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP 352 - Breathing Necklaces or Buyer Beware

For some of us, imposter syndrome is an anxiety generator.  It goes to the heart of feeling worthy, being competent or having the right to be in a particular space.   Doing this episode made me feel like an imposter. I can hear slurred words, tangents and howlers of editing.    But here is the thing.  I don't allow it to keep me from trying and doing. Sure, I could not do the show. Or hire and editor. Or let a freaking non-human try to emulate my speech patterns.    I need to do this in order to get better. And it might take another eight years for that to happen. I have the time.    If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.  Resources Mentioned:   There is a short TED-X explainer video called What is imposter syndrome and how can you combat it?   National Public Radio has a 2021 Life Kit piece on 5 Steps to Shake Imposter Syndrome.    Helpguide.org article on Imposter Syndrome, causes, types and coping tips.   A Guide to Impostor Syndrome—and Overcoming It from McLean Hospital Essentials page     Kim Menninger has a podcast called The Impostor Syndrome Files. You can find it on Apple podcast or almost any other podcast directory.   Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy or any book vendor.    Disclaimer:   Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements.   Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.  This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 

ARP 351 Anxiety and Imposter Syndrome

There is a spectrum of decisions between I can and I can't. Part of our healing journey is to understand the concept of acceptance.    A video popped up called "A Panic Attack Ended My Winter Backpacking Trip" from the Miranda Goes Outside!! YouTube channel.    I absolutely wanted to view that video. Spent a chunk of it nodding in agreement. Not to mention that I learned a little bit about not sleeping under a tree if there is snow.   I felt validated in that there is actual video proof of the experience in real life. Sometimes you can move past it. Sometimes you can't.   So I wanted to address that aspect of that experience with a few resources to help folks understand some of the concepts about acceptance and self-care.    I'm not going camping anytime soon. I need plumbing and an assurance of no bear contact.    I like bears.   I respect bears. Don't need to see one in the wild.     If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.  Resources Mentioned:   On the Positive Psychology website there is a explainer on What is Self-Acceptance? Please be aware that the site is designed for behavioral health folks, but it is easy for most people to read. There is a lot of text on the page, I'd read it a section at a time.  Psychology Today 2018 blog post on how to practice acceptance    If you lean toward a stoic point of view, there is The Philosophy of Everything blog page on the philosophy of acceptance.   The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, by Christopher Germer, PhD. The publisher is The Guilford Press and you can find the book at almost any off and on-line book vendor. The link is to the vendor's publisher's web site.   Dr. Germer has his own website where he has a page on meditations on self-compassion. You can download the mp3 file to your device or listen to it on the website.   Mindful.org page on self-compassion and writing a love letter to yourself.     Disclaimer:   Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements.   Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.  This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.  

ARP Pebble in the Road - Fight the Reaper

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