Mental Illness and Me

Annie works in early childhood education and is passionate about helping women get the support they need to teach their children from the very beginning. She also deals with PTSD and anxiety. She offers insights in to how she manages both disorders, and gives advice to other mothers of transgender children like herself who may find themselves dealing with anxiety unique to this circumstance.

This episode is part 2 of Scott and Jessica’s story. Part 1 can be found in episode 4 of this season.

In this two part series, married couple Scott and Jessica talk frankly about the challenges they’ve faced together because of Scott’s bipolar 1 diagnosis. From extended hospitalizations to persistent paranoia, they’ve learned to navigate through extremely difficult circumstances and still manage to laugh together despite the challenges.

Bekah was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 Disorder in high school, and has since been learning everything she can about it. She is passionate about mental health and is on track to go to medical school so she can become a psychiatrist and focus on the more stigmatized mental illnesses like her own.

Camille is the mother of five children who deal with a wide range of mental illnesses, including ADHD, OCD, and Bipolar 2 disorder. After her daughter’s suicide attempt, Camille completely shifted her parenting philosophy and hopes to help other parents learn how better to help their children in their mental illness struggles.

At 6’2”, Mary often felt separate from her peers growing up. She began dealing with anxiety and depression in middle school and continues to fight for her mental health. She hopes to help others in her situation by sharing her story.

Our friendship began from being the youngest in our grade (our September birthdays are a week apart), a mutual love of the written word, overalls, and the performing arts. 23 years later, we remain bonded over morning sickness, acid reflux, and experiencing the firsts of pregnancy at the same time...literally. Our babies, both boys, are due two days apart this summer! In the season finale of Mental Illness and Me, guest host Daniel Sowards interviews us together about our experiences with mental health and pregnancy as first time moms in our late thirties.

Navy mechanic Chad was 17 years old when he suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that left him with increased anxiety and depression. Combined with his experiences in the military, mental illness is part of Chad’s daily life. He shares his experiences and why he believes it’s important to tell his story.

College student David started noticing serious symptoms of mental illness when he was a senior in high school. Soon after, he was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. These illnesses eroded his self-esteem and left him very lonely. Still on the path to finding the right treatment plan for him, David speaks honestly from the heart about the feelings associated with these disorders and what he has learned in the past several years while coping with mental illness.

At 18, Amanda is the youngest guest we’ve had on Mental Illness and Me. She is finishing her senior year of high school and bravely shares her struggle with harm OCD, a form of OCD that causes intrusive, irrational thoughts about hurting oneself or others.