Since the arrival of Covid19, Americans have turned to anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication in sharply increasing numbers. Dr. Jim Polo, a licensed psychiatrist, talks with Beyond Well about the who, what, where, and when of seeking psychopharmacological help. Also, why counseling and behavior modification improves outcomes more than medicines alone.

Since the arrival of Covid19, Americans have turned to anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication in sharply increasing numbers. Dr. Jim Polo, a licensed psychiatrist, talks with Beyond Well about the who, what, where, and when of seeking psychopharmacological help. Also, why counseling and behavior modification improves outcomes more than medicines alone.

Laryssa Birdseye is the rare performer whose onstage person matches the intensity and brilliance of her voice. Birdseye’s lyrics are drawn directly from her wry and hilarious commentary on the state of her psychological world. Laryssa’s  clarity about her lifelong battle with anxiety, an eating disorder, and finally alcoholism, is a refreshing blast of honesty, “You think it’s over because you’ve whipped it…oh, but no.”

How do you cope with the long reality of Covid19? Dr. Jenna LeJeune shares some tips and compassionate guided exercises for moving into the now.

Dr. Jenna LeJeune breaks down the psychological components of stress eating and restricting during quarantine. Both impulses come out of a well established human urge to control our surroundings and how we feel in reaction to stress, anxiety, and sadness.

Doyle Smith, Angel Prater, and Michael Sorenson devote their lives to caring for people who are suffering from psychological distress. Smith runs Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, Prater is an intentional peer support national trainer and Sorenson is the business development director for Cedar Hills Hospital. In this interview, you'll hear specific techniques for moving beyond the isolation and fear of Covid19.

Our conversation with Erin Khar was recorded before the COVID19 pandemic but it speaks to an already existing crisis in our country, the opioid epidemic. Erin's brilliant memoir explores her fifteen-year-battle with opiate addiction and the very nature of why people do drugs, often to medicate other underlying mental health disorders. Her writing is clear-eyed, factual and cognizant of her own privilege as Erin finally wound her way to health.

Dr. Jim Polo talks about the unique barriers to effective mental health treatment faced by black Americans. Racial trauma is key to understanding the black experience.

Dr. James Polo joins the team at Beyond Well, with a background as a general physician, as a child psychiatrist, and as a general psychiatrist. Dr. Polo brings over 20 years of experience and previously served as Chief Medical Officer and senior psychiatric physician for Western State Hospital in Washington. He led development and oversight of psychiatric services in various military hospitals, served at the Pentagon as the Health Policy Advisor to the Secretary of the Army. He helped orchestrate complex care delivery for a children’s health care network in Washington state. In this interview, Dr. Polo talks about one of the most powerful experiences that helped him understand the complex forces of addiction and the depth of psychological struggle in family structures.

We are #turningoverthemic to #BlackVoices, including Domonique Debnam, an advocate and marketing executive for Brand Jordan at Nike in Portland, Oregon. Domonique shares her personal experiences growing up in one of the whitest cities in America and how the worldwide protests against police brutality have changed everything for Domonique personally and her hopes for the future.