Mental Note

As a teenager, Kea Yamamoto's behaviors transformed from being respectful, creative, and empathetic to ones that alienated the people she cared most about. Not only did she lash out, but she also stopped sleeping, began hallucinating, and felt immune to consequences.

Kea's eventual diagnosis of Bipolar I Disorder proved to be both a relief and a frightening look into the unknown. Would she be able to enjoy the relationships and experiences that make life worthwhile? Or would she move deeper into isolation and pain?

Today's episode - in collaboration with the podcast I Know Lonely and the non-profit Only 7 Seconds - explore's Kea's 10-year journey towards a fulfilling life. We cover how she mended relationships, what dating with a Bipolar diagnosis was like, and why she decided to become a mother despite the hereditary nature of her disorder.

Resources:

• Help with Loneliness and Isolation: only7seconds.com
• I Know Lonely Podcast: only7seconds.com/podcast
• Mental Note Podcast: www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center Website: https://www.pathlightbh.com/
• Free Group Support: https://www.pathlightbh.com/support-groups
• Free Evaluation with a Trained Pathlight Therapist: (877) 850-7199

Discover how your personality can be both your biggest asset and greatest stumbling block on today's fascinating episode.

When Dr. Laura Hill first encountered research showing that a person's temperament - the baked-in personality traits dictated by their genes - dramatically influences the type and expression of their eating disorder, she was thrilled. For decades, she had felt that eating disorder treatment only focused on external behaviors, while ignoring root causes. But through brain-based research, she was finally able to see how and why disorders begin growing in the first place.

This excitement compelled Dr. Hill to devote the next ten years of her career to working alongside colleagues and patients in developing the first-ever eating disorder treatment focused on genetic traits. The result? Temperament Based Treatment with Supports - TBT-S for short. Influenced by Dr. Hill's playful and inquisitive spirit, this approach promises thrilling possibilities for long-term recovery.

Resources:

• Our Website: www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Free mental health assessment: (877) 850-7199
• Her Book - https://amz.run/61EQ
• Dr. Hill's TED Talk: Eating Disorders From the Inside Out: https://ytube.io/3WsY
• Video of Wire/Re-Wire Activity: https://ytube.io/3WsZ
• Three levels of TBT-S training from tbtstraining.com
• Level 1 Training - https://bityl.co/F0f7
• Level 2 Training - https://bit.ly/3STzrMe
• Level 3 Training - https://bit.ly/3CmHfPz
• Eating Recovery Center Website: www.eatingrecoverycenter.com
• Free Group Support: eatingrecoverycenter.com/support-groups

Suicide is one of those words that stops us in our tracks. Often, we treat it tenderly — acting like saying it too loudly will inspire someone to do something awful. But the truth is that not talking about suicide is what actually increases the chance a person with suicidal thoughts will act on them.

So how do you have such a loaded conversation? Well, it helps to get advice from people who've been there before.

September is Suicide Prevention Month and in recognition of that goal, we reached out to the experts on dialoguing about difficult mental health topics - an organization called Hope for the Day.

Hope for the Day is a non-profit movement empowering conversations on proactive suicide prevention and mental health education. While based in Chicago, their resources are global. Their whole approach focuses on peer-to-peer led conversations that are guided by clinical oversight. It's incredibly effective. So today, I'll speak with five members of their team about tools, programs, and mindsets that can help prevent suicide in the communities we love.

Also, be sure to check out our resources list below for an abundance of ways to get the help you or a loved one may need.

Resources:

• Hope for the Day's Website: www.hftd.org
• A searchable, international list of resources for suicide prevention and mental health help: www.hftd.org/find-help
• The Things We Don't Say Program: www.hftd.org/get-educated/learn-more
• Project R.E.D. Team: www.hftd.org/red-team
• Identity & Orientation Resources: www.hftd.org/lgbtq
• Proactive Workplaces Program: www.hftd.org/proactive-workplaces
• Free Live Educations via Zoom or In-Person: www.hftd.org/events
• E-Learning On-Demand Education: www.hftd.org/e-learning/requestform

Emergency Resources:

• National Suicide Prevention Hotline: Dial 988
• Mental Health Emergencies: Dial 911 and say, "I need an ambulance, at this address, for a mental health crisis."

Our Show's Resources:

• Our Website: www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Free mental health assessment: (877) 850-7199
• National Suicide Prevention Hotline: Dial 988

Researching anxiety and mood disorders can be daunting - and deciding who is credible and what research holds up under scrutiny is even harder.

That's why we made today's episode!

Welcome to our little one-stop-shop-overview of the basics for anxiety and mood disorders. We'll spend this episode asking an expert in the field the most common questions about anxiety disorders, mood disorders, the treatment experience, and treatment methods. Sound good? Dr. Howard Weeks will be our gracious question answerer. He is the Chief Medical Officer at Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center. Most importantly, he has a special way of communicating complex information that brings clarity rather than getting lost in the weeds. Since this episode is a little longer than our typical show, we've included time stamps for different subjects below.

Subjects Timestamps

Anxiety 2:20 -15:00

Types - 6:00

• • Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  • Phobias
  • OCD
  • PTSD
  • Panic Attacks

Getting help - 10:30

• • Treatment Options
  • Is Recovery Possible?

Mood Disorders 15:00 - 29:30

Overview - 15:15

• • Depression
  • Mania
  • Genetics

Getting help - 22:35

• • When to Get help
  • Hotlines
  • Support Groups
  • Is Recovery Possible?

Treatment 29:30 - 42:00

Overview - 29:30

• • Acute
  • Residential
  • Partial Hospitalization
  • Intensive Outpatient
  • Virtual Intensive Outpatient
  • Traditional Outpatient

Pathlight - 34:30

• • What Sets it Apart?
  • What Treatment Looks Like
  • Age Categories
  • Insurance

Resources:

• Our Website: www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Free mental health assessment: (877) 850-7199
• National Suicide Prevention Hotline: Dial 988
• Pathlight Behavioral Health Center Website: www.pathlightbh.com
• Free Group Support: www.pathlightbh.com/support-groups
• Family Involvement Link: Family Resources

Four years ago Jayne Mattingly discovered something was seriously wrong with her health. Not only was she starting to see a loss of mobility, but physicians told her these physical limitations would only progress for the rest of her life.

For this former dancer and self-described "doer," losing mobility was devastating news. Jayne leaned heavily on the wisdom she'd cultivated earlier in life when recovering from anorexia to cope with her uncertain future.

Today, we'll talk with Jayne about shifting the relationship with her body. From feelings of anger and betrayal to a place where gratitude can exist alongside grief. She'll reveal a few of her best strategies for living a values-centered life while also grappling with her own ableism and chronic illness.

We'll also chat with Eating Recovery Center Nutrition Director Kathryn Johnson about mindful movement for different ability levels.

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Mental Note Podcast is brought to you by Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center and Eating Recovery Center. If you'd like to talk to a trained therapist or learn more about their programs and free support groups, please call them at (877) 850-7199 or visit our website mentalnotepodcast.com

Resources:

• Recovery Love & Care: https://bityl.co/DCHD
• The AND Initiative: https://bityl.co/DCHI
• Jayne on Instagram: https://fbook.cc/3ywA
• Our Website: www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Virtual Treatment: www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/virtualcare www.pathlightbh.com/virtualcare
• Free mental health assessment: (877) 850-7199

Lor Sabourin knows a thing or two about resilience and the power of thoughtfully approaching a relationship - be it with a sport or gender. A professional rock climber who grew up in Detroit, they spent years figuring out how to not hide their queer identity in a very male, heteronormative, and competitive world. Lor now works to spread the wisdom they've gathered by creating affirming spaces in outdoor communities and also training other climbers on mental stability. They are also the subject of a recent documentary film put out by Patagonia called They/Them. We invited Lor to talk about their personal journey, creating inclusive spaces, and how to simply find more Joy in the lives we choose.

We also hear from Sand Chang, PhD (They/Them) about the relationship between our society and mental health trends in the Queer Community.

RESOURCES:

• Our Website: www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Free mental health assessment: (877) 850-7199
• Trans Lifeline: A crisis hotline staffed by all-trans operators (877) 565-8860
• The Trevor Project: a resource specifically for LGBTQ youth in crisis
• FEDUP Collective: Support and education for people with marginalized bodies who have disordered eating
• National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network
• The Gender Affirming Letter Access Network - Find a free provider who will write letters to help you receive gender-affirming healthcare.

Growing up, Carrie Zhang - the founder of The Asian Mental Health Project - felt as though she had no right to talk about her mounting struggles with sadness and anxiety. You see, her parents - two immigrants from China and Taiwan - could simply not understand why their child might be unhappy. After all, they had sacrificed so much in order to give her a chance at prosperity and success.

As a result, Carrie did not find help processing trauma, depression, and anxiety until much later when her university offered mental healthcare services. She now spends her time aiding other Asian Americans to overcome cultural and systemic barriers to mental health through the Asian Mental Health Project.

In this episode, we talk with Carrie about her personal awakening to mental health hygiene, the cultural stigmas & institutional bias preventing the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American community - APIDA for short - from receiving the help they need, and finally what we all can do about it.

Resources:

• Our Website: www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Free mental health assessment: (877) 850-7199
• Asian Mental Health Project Instagram: @AsianMentalHealthProject
• OCA National: OCANational.org

At the beginning of 2020 Mackenzie Carmichael flew to Eating Recovery Center in Denver, Colorado determined to finally overcome a persistent eating disorder. The plan was to slowly step down from residential treatment to an outpatient program where she would commute to therapy and meals several times a week as her healing progressed.

However, the growing pandemic soon placed extra restrictions on that traditional outpatient model. So, her treatment team pivoted and instead recommended attending ERC & Pathlight's Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program (VIOP).

In today's episode, we'll explore Mackenzie's experience doing treatment from her family's home and discover how VIOP impacted her recovery. We'll also speak with Kaila Peak-Rishel, the Director of Eating Recovery Center's virtual treatment program to better understand what goes into the patient experience.

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Mental Note Podcast is brought to you by Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center and Eating Recovery Center. If you'd like to talk to a trained therapist or learn more about their programs and free support groups, please call them at (877) 850-7199 or visit our website mentalnotepodcast.com

Resources:

• Our Website: www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Virtual Treatment: www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/virtualcare
• www.pathlightbh.com/virtualcare
• Weekly Q&A Session about Virtual Services:
  • For potential patients: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/1464790792
  • For Caregivers: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/1479777474

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses suicide On March 11, 2005, Kevin Berthia became famous…For all the wrong reasons.

As he stood on an exposed pipe - with only the wind holding him up from plunging into the waters below San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge - a photographer captured Kevin discussing his desire to attempt suicide with Sergeant Briggs of the California Highway Patrol. That photo landed on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle the very next day.

Today, Kevin's perspective is much different than 17 years ago. Rather than contemplating the end of his life, he now speaks up for mental health and suicide prevention with a message that has made it around the world.

We sit down with Kevin to take a wild ride through his story and the serendipitous events that lead to becoming a nationally renowned storyteller. Along the way, we'll also chat with Dr. Thomas Joiner of Florida State University about depression, suicidal thoughts, and available tools to get help today.

If you or a loved one is in crisis, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK, or the Crisis Text Line (Text TALK to 741741) or to talk to someone who can help. Mental Note Podcast is brought to you by Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center and Eating Recovery Center. If you'd like to talk to a trained therapist or learn more about their programs and free support groups, please call them at (877) 850-7199 or visit our website www.mentalnotepodcast.com

RESOURCES

• Our Website: www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center: www.pathlightbh.com
• Eating Recovery Center: www.eatingrecoverycenter.com
• Kevin Berthia Foundation: www.kevinberthiafoundation.org
• Documentary mentioned in the episode: https://bityl.co/BDhP

So perhaps your child - or even you or another adult - is really particular about food and refuses to eat but you just cannot understand why. You can tell their mealtime anxiety is not normal but how do you know if it adds up to a full-blown eating disorder?

That's why we made today's episode. It's an introduction to one of the least understood eating disorders - ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). ARFID remains underdiagnosed and can even be dismissed as simple picky eating. But ignoring it can have deadly consequences.

So join us as we cover the basics about ARFID and the next steps needed for getting help: taking action, talking to doctors, and understanding different approaches to treatment.

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Mental Note Podcast is brought to you by Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center and Eating Recovery Center. If you'd like to talk to a trained therapist or learn more about their programs and free support groups, please call them at (877) 850-7199 or visit our website mentalnotepodcast.com

Resources:

• List of ARFID Resources: www.eatingrecovery.com/arfidresources
• Our Website: www.mentalnotepodcast.com
• Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center: www.pathlightbh.com
• Eating Recovery Center: www.eatingrecoverycenter.com