In this week’s episode, I sat down with Joe Fishburn, a psychiatric mental health nurse with extensive experience working in hospital systems, community response teams, ED and primary health care settings.

Joe talks about the undercurrent of stigma faced by those experiencing mental health challenges and the impact developmental trauma has on the development of complex personality disorders. Joe shared his thoughts on how we can support children in their early years to prevent complex mental health disorders arising and why divorce doesn’t need to have a negative impact on families.

We also discussed the increase in ADHD diagnoses, and the challenges faced in receiving treatment.

To round things out, Joe reaffirmed the importance of lived experiences in care provision, and the power of peer support.

In this conversation we touch on:

Joe's Role at First Step - 2:58

Legal Support - 11:34

The Stigma Around Mental Illnesses - 19:18

Nature vs. Nurture - 23:59

Neurodiversity - 27:53

ADHD - 32:18

Medication during Addiction Recovery - 34:24

The Impact of Mental Illness and Addiction on Families - 51:46

You can follow Ash and Behind The Smile on IG here: ⁠⁠@ashbutterss⁠

Head to ⁠⁠⁠ashbutterss.com/behind-the-smile-podcast ⁠⁠⁠for the show notes.

You can find more about First Step here: https://www.firststep.org.au/

If you or someone you know if struggling with mental health or addiction, please reach out for support. Some support options include:

• A healthcare professional

• Alcoholics Anonymous

• Lifeline or Beyond Blue (Australia)

• CheckPoint (global)

If you'd like to support the show you can "Buy Me A Coffee" by following the link below:⁠⁠⁠ ⁠YES I'D LOVE TO SUPPORT BEHIND THE SMILE PODCAST ⁠⁠