In this episode of SMI Spotlight, renowned clinical psychologist and author Dr. Xavier Amador answers your most pressing questions about anosognosia—a common and often misunderstood symptom of severe mental illness like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Dr. Amador, founder of the LEAP method and author of I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help!, shares expert insights on:

• Whether withholding financial support can motivate treatment

• If showing someone a video of themselves during psychosis can increase insight

• What people remember after a psychotic episode

• The different types of insight impacted by anosognosia

• Where to begin when a loved one refuses help

• Whether insight improves with age

• How to manage medication-related weight gain

SMI Spotlight is a podcast series from TAC, focused on evidence-based care and real-life strategies for supporting people with severe mental illness.

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  00:00) - Intro
• (00:56) - Q1 - Withholding Money for Medication Adherence
• (04:10) Q2 - Anosognosia and Video Playback
• (07:35) - Letting go of convincing
• (08:56) - Q3 - Anosognosia and Memory
• (10:42) - Q4 - Permanence of Anosognosia
• (12:34) - Different types of insight
• (13:54) - Q5 - Where to start when someone has anosognosia
• (15:15) - Q6 - How to get providers to use LEAP Methods
• (17:55) - Q7 - Does Insight Increase With Age?
• (20:26) - Q8 - Weight Gain from Medications
• (25:51) - Contact us!