In this episode of the Mental Note Podcast, psychiatrist Dr. Alyssa Lucker unpacks the complicated relationship between social media and mental health - especially for teens and young adults.

We explore the challenges of researching social media effects, how it influences the developing brain, and where responsibility lies between parents and platforms. Dr. Lucker also highlights potential benefits — like connection, creativity, and self-expression — alongside the risks of sleep disruption, mood changes, and addictive patterns. With practical advice on digital literacy, family communication, and self-reflection, this conversation asks the bigger question: is social media a healthy part of modern life, or just a poor substitute for real-world connection?

Links

• Mental Note Podcast www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Child and Adolescent Mental Heal Treatment - Child + Adolescent Mental Health Treatment
• Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center: www.pathlightbh.com
• Eating Recovery Center: www.eatingrecoverycenter.com
• Free Group Support: Click Here!
• Free Evaluation with a Trained Therapist: (877) 850-7199

Content Breakdown:

Why is Dr. Lucker passionate about social media hygiene 02:19

What does research say about social media's affect on teen mental health? 03:19

Difference between screen time and social media screen time 06:56

Benefits of social media 10:00

What's is the best approach for social media in our life? 12:50

Questions to ask yourself if you're concerned 14:30

Similarities / Differences with adult mental health 16:20

What is digital literacy and how do we cultivate it? Effects of AI? 17:36

Signs that professional support is needed 22:05

Dr. Lucker's top take away for listeners 26:50

Depression doesn't always look like staying in bed or losing motivation. For high-achieving people, it often hides behind packed schedules, perfectionism, and quiet exhaustion. In this episode, therapist Jenny Jacobsen unpacks how depression shows up differently in top performers, the overlap between burnout, boredom, anxiety, and depression, and the early warning signs you need to know.

She also shares practical strategies—from microdosing self-care to building foundational habits and practicing self-compassion—that can help you reconnect, heal, and move forward one step at a time.

Links:

• Jenny's Website: www.jennyjacobsencounseling.com
• Mental Note Podcast www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center: www.pathlightbh.com
• Eating Recovery Center: www.eatingrecoverycenter.com
• Free Group Support: https://www.pathlightbh.com/support-groups
• Free Evaluation with a Trained Therapist: (877) 850-7199

Should I Say This in Therapy?

Have you ever wondered what your therapist can and can't share outside the therapy room? Or when therapy confidentiality laws require them to break that trust?

In this collaborative episode, Ellie Pike joins clinicians Maria Ortiz and Dr. Zoe Ross-Nash from the 'On the Mic with ED' podcast to unpack the often-misunderstood boundaries of confidentiality in therapy.

Topics Covered:

• What informed consent really means
• When therapists are legally required to break confidentiality (and when they're not) due to mandatory reporting
• How clients can navigate trust, shame, and uncertainty in the therapy room

Whether you're in therapy for an eating disorder, addiction, trauma, or personal growth, this conversation will help you understand your rights in therapy and navigate those hard conversations with confidence.

Links:

• On the Mic with ED Podcast Website - www.theweightofitall.com
• Apple Podcasts - Open Podcast App
• Spotify - Open Spotify
• Instagram - @onthemicwithed
• Mental Note Podcast - www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Eating Recovery Center - www.eatingrecoverycenter.com
• Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center - www.pathlightbh.com
• Free Group Support - www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/support-groups
• Free Evaluation with a Trained Therapist - (877) 850-7199

Intermittent fasting is everywhere—from influencer feeds to doctor's offices—but is this trending approach to eating really the wellness cure-all it claims to be? In this episode of Mental Note, registered dietitian Jennifer Vittitow joins host Ellie Pike to explore the hidden downsides of intermittent fasting, including its impact on mental health, disordered eating behaviors, and social connection. Together, they unpack the science, debunk the diet culture spin, and offer a more compassionate path forward—one rooted in balance, flexibility, and trust in your body.

Links:

• Mental Note Podcast www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Eating Recovery Center: www.eatingrecoverycenter.com
• Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center: www.pathlightbh.com
• Free Group Support: https://www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/support-groups
• Free Evaluation with a Trained Therapist: (877) 850-7199

A dangerous secret lurked behind author Lara Jacobs' ambition: she relied on anorexia to focus her writing, blurring the line between artistic drive and self-destruction.

In this episode, Lara shares how years of chasing a story across continents ultimately led her to eating disorder treatment and to rediscovering herself—both as a writer and as a person in recovery. With honesty and hope, she reflects on the pivotal moments that helped her heal, the community that supported her, and how reclaiming her narrative became the most powerful form of self-expression. Now, she teaches others to do the same.

Links:

• Lara's Website: larajacobswriter.com
• Lara's Instagram: @donotoverink
• Mental Note Podcast www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Eating Recovery Center: www.eatingrecoverycenter.com
• Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center: www.pathlightbh.com
• Free Group Support: https://www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/support-groups
• Free Evaluation with a Trained Therapist: (877) 850-7199

Supporting a loved one through eating disorder recovery can feel overwhelming—but you don't have to do it alone. In this special Q&A episode, we sit down with experienced parents Beth Ayn Stansfield and Amy Oberholtzer, who have navigated this journey with their own children and turned their experiences into advocacy. Beth Ayn, now the National Family Advocate for Eating Recovery Center, and Amy, founder of the nonprofit CATCH, share their hard-earned wisdom on self-care, technology, community-building, and trusting the process. Their insights offer guidance, hope, and reassurance whether you're just beginning or deep in the recovery journey.

Beth Ayn + Amy's Links:

• Caregiver Support Groups - For caregivers of either children and teens or adults (Support Groups will be at the bottom of the page once you click the link.)
• ED 101 and 201
• CATCH
  • CATCH Website
  • Parents Support Network
  • Chicago area Trusted Professionals
• Chasing Childhood Documentary

Mental Note Links:

• Mental Note Podcast www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Eating Recovery Center: www.eatingrecoverycenter.com
• Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center: www.pathlightbh.com
• Free Group Support: https://www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/support-groups
• Free Evaluation with a Trained Therapist: (877) 850-7199

In a world where mental health care is often seen as one-size-fits-all, Akiera Gilbert is on a mission to break down barriers and open the doors of eating disorder treatment to those often left behind.

As the CEO of Project Heal, Akiera leads an organization dedicated to transforming the system while offering immediate, life-saving support to those who face financial, cultural, and systemic obstacles to care. Through her work, Akiera emphasizes the power of community and the need to reimagine healing in ways that honor diverse experiences.

In this episode, we explore her personal recovery journey, the realities of accessing treatment, and how understanding social identities is key to providing quality care for all.

Join us as we discuss the future of inclusive healing and the incredible impact of Project Heal's work.

Project Heal Links

• Project Heal Website: theprojectheal.org
• Clinical Assessment: Click Here
• Cash Assistance: Click Here
• Insurance Navigation: Click Here
• Meal Support: Click Here
• Community Support: Click Here
• Research and Advocacy: Click Here

Mental Note Links:

• Mental Note Podcast: www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center: www.pathlightbh.com
• Eating Recovery Center: www.eatingrecoverycenter.com
• Free Group Support: https://www.pathlightbh.com/support-groups
• Free Evaluation with a Trained Therapist: (877) 850-7199

As an eating disorder survivor turned eating disorder therapist, Carly Compton strives to be the person that she wishes she would have known when she was younger.

That conviction led her on a rewarding journey to become a therapist, model, host of the Recover with Carly Podcast, and creator of an eating disorder curriculum for adolescents. In all these endeavors, Carly focuses on partnering with individuals to give up dieting, recover from disordered eating, and find genuine happiness and acceptance within themselves — no matter their size, race, gender, sexuality, or socioeconomic status.

We sit down to discuss the steps that took her on such a liberating journey and also some practical ways you can improve your relationship with your body.

Resources:

• Carly's Website
• Recover with Carly Podcast
• Body Image Workshop with ERC
• Curriculum: Eating Disorder Education and Awareness
• Her Socials: Tiktok and Instagram

Mental Note Links:

• Mental Note Podcast: www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center: www.pathlightbh.com
• Eating Recovery Center: www.eatingrecoverycenter.com
• Free Group Support: https://www.pathlightbh.com/support-groups
• Free Evaluation with a Trained Therapist: (877) 850-7199

From Chaos to Creativity:

Storyteller and artist Landon Bryant explores his journey from struggling with life's basic challenges to finding success and support after an adult ADHD diagnosis. Landon shares how he navigated the difficulties of his condition, including years of trial and error with medications and strategies, and how he ultimately embraced the creative potential of ADHD. This conversation sheds light on the importance of self-awareness, support systems, and the unique strengths that can arise from challenges. His journey is a source of hope for anyone on a similar path.

Resources:

Get to Know Landon:

• Instagram @landontalks
• TikTok: @landontalks

Mental Note Links:

• Mental Note Podcast: www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center: www.pathlightbh.com
• Eating Recovery Center: www.eatingrecoverycenter.com
• Free Group Support: https://www.pathlightbh.com/support-groups
• Free Evaluation with a Trained Therapist: (877) 850-7199

GLP-1 weight loss drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, have exploded in popularity due to their weight-loss potential. But what do they actually do? How do they function? And why are they the subject of so much controversy?

With insight from Dr. Elizabeth Wassenaar, Regional Medical Director for the Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center, this episode will empower you to make an educated decision when it comes to your body and these medications.

Crucially, we will also focus on how GLP-1s may affect individuals with eating disorders - even if they are being taken as diabetes medication rather than to lose weight.

If you'd like to learn more about GLp-1s from Dr. Wassenaar — and earn CE credits along the way — join Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight's virtual annual conference August 21-23 . Dr. Wassenaar will lead a special discussion on GLP-1s and their relationship to Binge Eating Disorder treatment. Sign up here.

Resources:

Mental Note Podcast: www.mentalnotepodcast.com 16th Annual Conference: Register Here Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center: www.pathlightbh.com Eating Recovery Center: www.eatingrecoverycenter.com Free Group Support: Register Here Free Evaluation with a Trained Therapist: (877) 850-7199