Pets are a major source of comfort for many, but did you know they can help those with severe mental illness too? Including schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder? And in more ways than one? This week on the podcast Kody and Kit talk about their pets… and feature some furry friends as well. Both hosts benefit from having pets, and we hope you enjoy this exploration of what it means to have a pet as someone with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platforms

YouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcast

We are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handle

Email: [email protected]

Follow Kody!

YouTube: @schizophrenichippie

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook: schizophrenichippie

Follow Kit!

YouTube: @schizokitzo

Instagram, TikTok, Facebook: schizokitzo

Kit’s Guinea Pig Instagram: @tatertotpiggies 

#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #podcast #pets

In the last few years, using the ketogenic way of eating as a metabolic therapy to treat mental health conditions like schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder has become more common. However, recent events have caused keto to be at the forefront, more so than in the past. So, this week on the podcast, Kody and Kit tackled keto and current events. They talk science, opinion, and what we know when it comes to this stuff.

Enjoy and maybe… tell us what you think :)

Sources and other studies of interest:

Danan, A., Westman, E. C., Saslow, L. R., & Ede, G. (2022). The Ketogenic Diet for Refractory Mental Illness: A Retrospective Analysis of 31 Inpatients. Frontiers in psychiatry, 13, 951376.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.95...

Needham, N., Campbell, I. H., Grossi, H., Kamenska, I., Rigby, B. P., Simpson, S. A., McIntosh, E., Bahuguna, P., Meadowcroft, B., Creasy, F., Mitchell-Grigorjeva, M., Norrie, J., Thompson, G., Gibbs, M. C., McLellan, A., Fisher, C., Moses, T., Burgess, K., Brown, R., Thrippleton, M. J., … Smith, D. J. (2023). Pilot study of a ketogenic diet in bipolar disorder. BJPsych open, 9(6), e176.

https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2023.568

Palmer, C. M. (2022). Brain energy: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding mental health--and improving treatment for anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and more. BenBella Books, Inc.

Sethi, S., Wakeham, D., Ketter, T., Hooshmand, F., Bjornstad, J., Richards, B., Westman, E., Krauss, R. M., & Saslow, L. (2024). Ketogenic Diet Intervention on Metabolic and Psychiatric Health in Bipolar and Schizophrenia: A Pilot Trial. Psychiatry research, 335, 115866.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.20...

Tillery, E. E., Ellis, K. D., Threatt, T. B., Reyes, H. A., Plummer, C. S., & Barney, L. R. (2021). The use of the ketogenic diet in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. The mental health clinician, 11(3), 211–219.

https://doi.org/10.9740/mhc.2021.05.211

ALL Current Keto Clinical Trials Related to Mental Health Conditions:

https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?con...

A review of Brain Energy that points out a lot of its shortcomings:

https://www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/d...

Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platforms

YouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcast

We are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handle

Email: [email protected]

Follow Kody!

YouTube: @schizophrenichippie

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook: schizophrenichippie

Follow Kit!

YouTube: @schizokitzo

Instagram, TikTok, Facebook: schizokitzo

#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #keto

After a several week break, we are BACK! This week on the Schiz & Giggles podcast Kody and Kit are joined by Michelle Hammer! Michelle lives with schizophrenia and runs Schizophrenic.NYC, a clothing and lifestyle brand that was established ten years ago! Michelle has a lot to say about what it’s like being an advocate on the streets of New York City, so enjoy the episode and let us know what you think!

Follow Michelle!

Instagram: @schizophrenic.nyc

YouTube: @SchizophrenicNYC

TikTok: @Schizophrenic.NYC

Buy her clothing and other items at https://www.schizophrenic.nyc

Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platforms

YouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcast

We are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handle

Email: [email protected]

Follow Kody!

YouTube: @schizophrenichippie

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook: schizophrenichippie

Follow Kit!

YouTube: @schizokitzo

Instagram, TikTok, Facebook: schizokitzo

#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #podcast

Medication and therapy are mainstay for mental health conditions, especially for those on the schizophrenia spectrum. But did you know there are other treatment options out there? This week on the podcast, Kody and Kit address just that. They talk about specialized therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy, but also touch on one more: EMDR.

It’s a fun episode. Enjoy it and let us know what you think!

Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platforms

YouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcast

We are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handle

Email: [email protected]

Follow Kody!

YouTube: @schizophrenichippie

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook: schizophrenichippie

Follow Kit!

YouTube: @schizokitzo

Instagram, TikTok, Facebook: schizokitzo

#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #podcast #cbt #dbt #emdr

This week on the podcast, Kody and Kit are joined by Gabe Howard, a prominent mental health advocate who lives with bipolar disorder. Gabe has been advocating for over a decade, and has seen the many phases of advocacy over the years: how it started, how it went, and where it is today. Kody and Kit ask Gabe all sorts of questions, so as always, enjoy the episode and let us know what you think!

Follow Gabe!

Instagram: askabipolar

Website (to order books and get more info): gabehoward.com

Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platforms

YouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcast

We are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handle

Email: [email protected]

Follow Kody!

YouTube: @schizophrenichippie

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook: schizophrenichippie

Follow Kit!

YouTube: @schizokitzo

Instagram, TikTok, Facebook: schizokitzo

#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #podcast #bipolar

Many people know that psychotic episodes exist, but how about the fact that they have not one, not two, but three phases to them?

This week on the podcast, Kody and Kit talk about the different phases of their psychotic breaks; how it started, how it went, and how it ended. With the idea to educate others about how psychosis is far more dynamic than people often think it is.

Kody lives with schizophrenia and Kit lives with schizoaffective disorder and both hosts have a lot to say.

YouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcast

We are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handle

It wouldn’t be too far off to say that when someone has a severe mental illness—like schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder—there’s usually something else going on along with it.

So, this week, Kody and Kit tackle their comorbidities. Kody talks about his experience with ADHD as someone who is also living with schizophrenia, and Kit tackles explaining her OCD as someone who deals with schizoaffective disorder. Both hosts have challenges and comorbidities can be wild, so we hope you enjoy the episode.

YouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcast

We are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handle

Email: [email protected]

This week on the podcast, Kody and Kit talk about celebrities with mental illnesses and how they advocate for their conditions. Kody speaks about celebrities with schizophrenia and Kit talks about ones with schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder. Of course, some people from history are included! This was a fun episode to film, and if you liked it, let us know what you think!

Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platforms

YouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcast

We are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handle

Follow Kody!

YouTube: @schizophrenichippie

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook: schizophrenichippie

Follow Kit!

YouTube: @schizokitzo

Instagram, TikTok, Facebook: schizokitzo

#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #podcast

Delusions are fixed beliefs that are held regardless of fact and are an extremely common symptom in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. So, this week on the podcast, Kody and Kit tackle delusions and start the conversation about them. Both hosts hdeal with this symptom, but each of them experience this kind of psychosis in a different way. It just goes to show how different schizophrenia spectrum disorders can be from person to person.

Also, we are in person this week!

As always, let us know what you think!

Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platforms

YouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcast

We are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handle

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: @schizophrenichippie

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook: schizophrenichippie

YouTube: @schizokitzo

Instagram, TikTok, Facebook: schizokitzo

#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #podcast #delusions

Follow Kody!Follow Kit!

This week on the podcast, Kody and Kit are joined by Stephen Lathrop from Surviving Schizophrenia. Stephen was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 12 and it drastically altered the course of his life. However, he decided to become a mental health advocate and turn his experience with schizophrenia into something that could help people. Today we talk about his resilience, and how he copes with his condition, to show that someone can have childhood-onset schizophrenia and still live a great life!

We hope you love this episode as much as we loved filming it!

Follow Stephen!

YouTube: @survivingschizophrenia

Instagram: survivingschizophrenia

Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platforms

YouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcast

We are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handle

Email: [email protected]

Follow Kody!

YouTube: @schizophrenichippie

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook: schizophrenichippie

Follow Kit!

YouTube: @schizokitzo

Instagram, TikTok, Facebook: schizokitzo

#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #podcast