Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined

In this episode of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-examined, we examine how media coverage shapes public perceptions of mental illness; especially schizophrenia. Featuring insights from journalism professor and CBC journalist Kathryn Gretsinger, the conversation explores the ethical responsibilities of reporting on complex and sensitive issues. From breaking news to long-form storytelling, we look at how language, framing, and repetition can influence stigma, and how more thoughtful, trauma-informed journalism can foster understanding instead of harm.

Timecodes:

(02:40) Journalism ethics: truth, accuracy, fairness, balance

(04:50) Do journalists shape public opinion?

(06:15) Common misconceptions in news coverage

(07:30) Why deeper reporting on root causes matters

(10:15) The importance of listening in storytelling

(12:20) Clickbait vs responsible journalism

(14:43) Challenges of short-form reporting

(16:45) Media literacy: how to verify information

(18:00) Ethical reporting on vulnerable communities

(20:21) Progress in Canadian mental health reporting

(22:25) Final reflections: language, impact, and responsibility

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-examined, we explore the emerging intersection of artificial intelligence and mental health. Through the lived experience of Allan Brooks, we examine how interactions with AI can escalate into something far more serious: reinforcing delusional thinking and contributing to psychological crisis. This episode raises important questions about safety, responsibility, and the role of technology in our lives, while highlighting the need for awareness, critical thinking, and human connection in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Timecodes:

(03:02) How a simple math question started everything

(04:08) When AI suggested changing the world

(05:20) The moment everything turned dangerous

(08:35) When AI became the only source of truth

(09:55) Not realizing reality was slipping

(11:00) The first moment something felt off

(11:30) Using another AI to break the illusion

(12:49) The emotional crash afterward

(14:03) Why getting help was so difficult

(15:20) Why the system isn’t ready for this

(17:07) Who’s actually at risk (it’s not who you think)

(18:34) Finding others who understood

(20:14) The biggest risk no one is talking about

(21:01) What families need to watch for

(22:16) Are AI companies doing enough?

(23:10) Warning signs to look for

(24:07) How people are breaking out of it

(24:59) Life after AI psychosis

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-examined, we explore how art therapy can help people living with serious mental illnesses and their family/caretakers. Through conversations with art therapist Nicole Parekh and artist Sandra Yuen, we examine how creative expression can offer a powerful, non-verbal way to process experiences, build connection, and support recovery. While art isn’t a replacement for treatment, it can help people reconnect with themselves, find meaning, and express what words sometimes cannot.

Timecodes:

(0:22) What is art therapy?

(1:37) How art therapy actually works

(3:57) Art therapy vs regular art classes

(5:12) Why art helps express what words can’t

(7:18) Art therapy & schizophrenia: real benefits

(9:04) Can art therapy support recovery?

(10:45) When art therapy might not be enough

(11:30) How creativity rebuilds identity

(13:33) Real story: from chaos to stability through art

(14:41) The power of community in mental health recovery

(15:17) A simple art therapy exercise you can try at home

(18:24) How families can use creativity to support loved ones

(19:55) Why art is a powerful coping tool

(21:16) Sandra’s story about living with schizophrenia

(23:11) How art helped rebuild confidence & purpose

(24:08) The meaning behind Sandra’s artwork

(25:23) Why art can’t replace medication (but still matters) 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Look Again is excited to present this candid conversation from our friends at Brain Stories, a documentary series that captures stories of those living with a mental illness, and the people who support them.

In this episode, we hear from Xavier, who was a senior in college when he got a panicked call from his brother. This was his closest brother, his older brother whom he deeply admired, and he was telling Xavier that he had killed their dad. It would take Xavier nearly a decade to truly repair his relationship with his brother, though not for the reasons you would expect. But in the process, what he discovered would change the entire approach to schizophrenia for him, and then millions of others. 

Learn more about Dr. Amador and the LEAP approach at www.LeapInstitute.org

Find out more about this episode and the Brain Stories documentary series at www.BrainStoriesProductions.com.

This show is a copyright of Brain Stories Productions and the SamoBé Corporation. The use of this episode or any of its content in any form or way for Artificial Intelligence, its development or training is copyright infringement, and expressly prohibited without prior written agreement.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when someone living with a serious mental illness truly believes they are not ill?

In this episode of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-examined, we explore anosognosia, a neurological symptom that affects a person’s ability to recognize their own illness. Host Faydra Aldridge introduces conversations with clinical psychologist Dr. Xavier Amador, author of I’m Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help, and documentary filmmaker Frank Kosa. Together, they unpack what anosognosia really is, why it’s often misunderstood, and how approaches like the LEAP method can help families and clinicians build trust and support recovery.

Timecodes:

(1:32) What is the LEAP method – techniques to support people with psychosis

(3:18) How anosognosia affects caregivers and people living with psychosis
(4:20) Why anosognosia is a neurocognitive impairment, not denial
(5:23) Denial vs. anosognosia: how to tell the difference in mental health
(9:22) Why caregivers should focus on listening and partnership
(13:07) LEAP partnership insights: encouragement for supporting loved ones
(17:06) The most harmful myths about anosognosia
(18:56) The origin of the Brain Stories podcast
(23:00) Does understanding mental illness improve the lives of those affected?

Resources:

Brain Stories podcast

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When someone is admitted to hospital for a mental health crisis, families are often told: “We can’t share patient information.” But is privacy legislation really the barrier it’s made out to be?

In this episode of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-examined, we explore the tension between confidentiality and family involvement in care, and why culture, not the law, may be keeping loved ones in the dark.

Host Faydra Aldridge is joined by Monica, a parent who shares her lived experience navigating the system, and psychiatrist Dr. Richard O’Reilly, who unpacks what Canadian privacy laws actually allow, and why they’re so often misunderstood. It’s a candid conversation about advocacy, accountability, and the vital role families can play in recovery.

Timecodes:
(01:05) Legal representation and challenges accessing medical information
(02:40) Resilience, compassion, and vulnerability during mental illness
(04:01) Being excluded from care during early hospitalizations
(06:44) Gaps in medical records and sharing collateral information
(08:10) Limits of Section 9 and Section 7 representation agreements
(10:00) Family’s role in preventing adverse medication reactions
(12:27) Anosognosia and early intervention challenges
(14:04) Capacity assessment issues in Section 9 agreements
(16:23) Recommendations for improving the mental health system
(18:16) Experiences of involuntary hospitalization and need for support
(21:47) Gaps between families and care teams
(23:18) Expert explains privacy laws and clinician practices
(29:42) Family involvement improves patient outcomes
(30:11) Solutions: training, program inclusion, and fighting stigma

Resources:
- Full video from FASMI and Dr O'Rielly

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-examined, we explore recovery beyond medical definitions and diagnoses. Host Faydra Aldridge introduces a new era of the podcast which now available in both audio and video by bringing listeners face-to-face with two powerful stories.

Matthew shares his decades-long journey to remission, the role medication and reflective self-work have played in his life, and how purpose fuels his advocacy through Mind Aid. Abigail offers a different path, one that includes sobriety, shifting diagnoses, daily self-care, and learning to live well while still managing symptoms.

Together, their stories challenge stigma and remind us that recovery isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s personal, evolving, and deeply human.

Timecodes:
(01:05) What recovery really means (not what you think)
(03:08) The moment schizophrenia hit
(05:20) The medication that changed everything
(07:30) The day Matthew's symptoms suddenly stopped
(08:40) Recovery vs cure
(10:10) Why Matthew refuses to stop medication
(12:49) “You still get to write your story”
(14:03) Breaking the stigma around schizophrenia
(15:20) What recovery really looks like
(16:14) 27 months sober: Abigail’s story
(17:30) Years of misdiagnosis
(18:45) What schizophrenia actually feels like
(20:00) The daily habits that keep Abigail stable
(21:34) Why recovery is still possible

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special introduction, host Faydra Aldridge shares what’s new in Season 6 of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined.

This season brings a new magazine-style format, more voices from across the mental health community, and for the first time: video episodes!

Alongside firsthand stories and expert perspectives, the show will explore topics including recovery, caregiving, media representation, art therapy, and the role of artificial intelligence in mental wellness.

Featuring conversations with guests such as MindAid founder Matthew Dickson, Dr. Xavier Amador and Frank Kosa of the Brain Stories podcast, CBC and UBC's Kathryn Gretsigner, and art therapist Nicole Parekh, to name a few.

Be sure to subscribe to Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined on YouTube, or follow wherever you get your podcasts.

Show Notes:
- BCSS YouTube Channel

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Season 6 of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-examined, host Faydra Aldridge goes beyond the stereotypes, the headlines, and the stigma surrounding serious mental illness. This season explores a host of topics that include what recovery really means, the realities of caregiving, pressures within the mental health system, the role media plays in the portrayal of serious mental illness, and how artificial intelligence is impacting wellness.

Through firsthand stories and expert insight, each episode challenges listeners to reconsider long-held assumptions about living well with mental illness. Honest, thoughtful, and community-focused, Season 6 also introduces a new video format, with episodes available on YouTube.

Follow Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined and join us for the new season which starts March 25th.

Show Notes:
- BCSS YouTube Channel

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the final episode of our World Schizophrenia Day series, we revisit a deeply personal episode of Look Again. Host Faydra Aldridge shares her family’s journey with Schizophrenia.

Before her sister, Carissa Lynn, was diagnosed with Schizophrenia, Faydra thought it was something that happened to others. In this powerful episode, Faydra is joined by her mother, Linda, and they revisit the challenges and heartbreaking moments of a family living with the realities of severe mental illness.

Follow Look Again to be notified when our show returns with new episodes. Until then, share your thoughts with us here. Leave a review so others can find our show.

Resources:
Learn more about BCSS Family Support Groups
Listen to the “Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined” episodes touching on anosognosia:
The Truth Behind Psychiatric Medication
Hearing Voices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.