Transcript

SureEyes: [00:00:00] you're listening to quintessentially mental a podcast hosted by SureEyes. Please note that this host is not a mental health practitioner or professional, and this podcast is not made for treatment of any mental illness. 

[00:00:25] Spudcaster: [00:00:25] Quintessentially Mental: the podcast is produced and hosted by Spudcaster for Baobulb.org.

[00:00:33] SureEyes: [00:00:33] Welcome, welcome, welcome. A podcast focussed on mental health and mental health journeys and stories. Um, we're hoping that, or I'm hoping that this podcast, you know, helps to de stigmatize mental health. You know, we, we create a space to talk about our main goal, health struggles, celebrations, achievements, journeys, um, all of these different things that allow us to be more functional as mentally healthy people.

[00:01:16] Um, I guess I wanted to start this as a podcast that hopes to, you know, as I said, normalize the conversation around mental health and the way I was hoping to do this, is not only by sharing my story, but about also inviting guests onto my show, um, where we were able to talk about different topics regarding mental health.

[00:01:44] We, um, You know, we can actually just open up the dialogue. We can actually just open up the conversation. Um, I am a 34 year old mom, a new mom. Um, my son is still very young, um, and I've, I've battled mental health and mental illness probably from the time I was about 11 years old. Um, well at least that's when I think it started, I was only formally diagnosed when I was 26 or 27.

[00:02:24] And I've had a number of, you know, additional diagnosis and re diagnosis. You know, mental health is one of these things, we almost feel like if we talk about it, we're admitting our inadequacy, we're admitting our inability. We're admitting that we're not capable. We're admitting that we don't function.

[00:02:49] And while these things might be true. For split seconds or very brief moment in time periodically through our lives. It's not necessarily who we are. It's not necessarily what defines us. It's not necessarily, you know, the thing that makes us who we are. Um, And so I hope that by, by following and listening and engaging in these conversations, that we, we start realizing that talking about our mental health should be as normal as saying I'm just not feeling well today.

[00:03:30] And it happens to be not visible. Um, so yeah, that's, that's just a brief introduction. I'm very excited to be on this journey with you. Um, when I was approached by Candice Nolan from Baobulb, I was very excited me I like talking and to talk about something that I'm very passionate about and something that affects me directly, you know, I don't

[00:04:02] I don't always believe in, you know, offering opinions on things I don't know about. Um, but I think that this is, this is an important part of who I am. Um, or where I've come from on my journey. Um, so just to give you a bit of background on myself, I have been diagnosed primarily with borderline personality disorder.

[00:04:31] Apparently this is one of the more difficult illnesses to diagnose because it's only something that can really be observed over a period. A prolonged period of time. Um, it was suspected that I had BPD probably in 2016, um, and then only, you know, properly diagnosed towards the end of 2016. And having that diagnosis confirmed, um, in about 2017.

[00:05:04] Um, it was, it, wasn't an, I guess this is the way all of my diagnoses have come about. And I guess I was lucky in that I had, um, quite matured in their career, um, mental health professionals working with me and it was never a case of you are a borderline personality disorder sufferer, or you are

[00:05:32] you have bipolar or you have, you know, a substance induced mood disorder or you have, you know, it was more a case of, you know, these behaviors