Understanding Psychosis

What is a psychiatric hospitalization actually for, and how can you advocate for yourself or someone you love while it's happening?

Will Carlson, LCSW, and psychiatrist Dr. Jacob Ballon are joined by psychiatrist Dr. Khalid Salaheldin, their colleague at the INSPIRE Clinic. We start with something patients and families say all the time: "How could you possibly understand what I'm going through?" Dr. Salaheldin shares how his own family's experience with psychosis shapes the way he sees every patient. Then we turn to the hospital: what an inpatient stay is for, what patients and families should ask, why families can always share information with the treating team even when staff can't confirm their loved one is there, why psychosis is a symptom that calls for a full medical workup, how shared decision-making about medication should work, when medication can be given over objection, and why hope and community matter so much in recovery.

Chapters
00:00 Welcome to Understanding Psychosis
01:24 The impossible question: how could you possibly understand?
02:21 Dr. Salaheldin's lived experience
04:33 Patients, providers, and sharing lived experience
08:06 “Use me as a tool”: bringing families in
10:52 Seeing the human before the illness
12:54 When the family and the doctor seem to side together
15:50 What is a psychiatric hospitalization for?
16:21 What patients and families should ask
17:46 Families' rights: “I can't confirm or deny”
18:35 Tell the team what makes your loved one smile
20:55 When anger comes up
21:34 Holding hope when someone has none
22:34 Hope, peer support, and INSPIRE 360
25:47 Psychosis is a symptom: the medical workup
28:09 What the medical workup should look for
32:58 Bringing primary care into the team
34:15 Patients' questions about medication
37:47 Catatonia and life-saving treatment
38:59 Medication over objection: the legal process
39:40 “Hope is alive”: closing thoughts
41:07 Thanks and how to reach us

Send us your own impossible questions at understandingpsychosispodcast.com

Thank you to Michael Osborne and Jacob Weiss at 14th Street Studios for production support.

Understanding Psychosis is an independent educational podcast. It is not an official program of Stanford Health Care or the INSPIRE Clinic, and it is not a substitute for medical advice. If you or someone you love is in crisis, call or text 988 (US) or go to the nearest emergency room.

After an episode of psychosis, is it ever safe to use cannabis again? And was it the cannabis in the first place?

Will Carlson, LCSW, and psychiatrist Dr. Jacob Ballon take on a question that comes up in clinic all the time. We talk about whether cannabis causes psychosis or unmasks something that was already on its way, why the odds of a second episode matter so much, why Dr. Ballon asks for a 30- to 60-day break to gather real data, what early diagnoses like brief psychotic disorder and schizophreniform disorder actually mean, why one person has psychosis after using the same cannabis their friends used, how today's high-potency THC differs from the cannabis of the past, and how families can talk about all of this without blame.

Chapters
00:00 Welcome to Understanding Psychosis
01:22 The impossible question: was it the cannabis?
02:12 Why families want a ruling
03:02 What was going on before the first episode
04:03 Could it be a one-time episode?
05:16 Direct cause, or unmasking?
05:42 How likely is a second episode?
07:58 A cannabis break to gather real data
08:56 Does this mean I have schizophrenia?
09:18 Why diagnosis should stay fluid
12:27 Focus on risk, not the label
13:15 Why me, and not my friends?
14:45 What cannabis was doing for you
16:02 High-potency THC: light beer vs. whiskey
17:50 It's not your fault
18:36 Thanks and how to reach us

Send us your own impossible questions at understandingpsychosispodcast.com

Thank you to Michael Osborne and Jacob Weiss at 14th Street Studios for production support.

Understanding Psychosis is an independent educational podcast. It is not an official program of Stanford Health Care or the INSPIRE Clinic, and it is not a substitute for medical advice. If you or someone you love is in crisis, call or text 988 (US) or go to the nearest emergency room.

In our first guest episode, Bethany, author of the memoir Mind Estranged and president of the CURESZ Foundation, talks with Dr. Jacob Ballon and Will Carlson, LCSW, about the phone call that brought her family back together, why being hospitalized felt insulting and still changed her life, how real delusions can feel from the inside, the trial and error of finding the right medication, and what her life looks like today.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to Understanding Psychosis

01:15 Meet Bethany Yeiser

01:48 Four years homeless, and the turning point

03:45 What her doctor told her in the hospital

05:29 The phone call that brought her family back

09:07 The impossible question: involuntary hospitalization

12:09 Side effects and trying a different medication

13:35 Early signs and the pull of delusions

15:22 How powerful delusions can feel

17:32 A psychiatrist who looked deeper

20:52 Building the CURESZ Foundation

25:38 Clozapine and finding the right medication

28:38 Support beyond medication

30:07 When families consider hospitalization

34:28 Bethany's life today

37:18 Thank you, Bethany

Learn more about Bethany's work at the CURESZ Foundation: curesz.org

Bethany's memoir: Mind Estranged

Send us your own impossible questions at understandingpsychosispodcast.com

Thank you to Michael Osborne and Jacob Weiss at 14th Street Studios for production support.

Understanding Psychosis is an independent educational podcast. It is not an official program of Stanford Health Care or the INSPIRE Clinic, and it is not a substitute for medical advice. Medication decisions should always be made with your own care team. If you or someone you love is in crisis, call or text 988 (US) or go to the nearest emergency room.

What can you do when someone you love is experiencing psychosis but doesn't believe they need help?

In our first episode, Will Carlson, LCSW, and psychiatrist Dr. Jacob Ballon take on one of the questions families ask most. We talk about how to stay connected, communicate without escalating conflict, and balance respect for a loved one's wishes with concern for their safety. We cover what "non-consensus reality" means, why arguing over facts rarely works, the LEAP approach (Listen, Empathize, Agree, Partner), setting limits at home, and what to hold onto when progress isn't a straight line.

Chapters
00:00 Welcome to Understanding Psychosis
01:26 Why getting help is an ongoing question
03:14 What is "non-consensus reality"?
05:26 Acting rationally on different information
07:37 Partnering with the feeling, not the content
08:44 "This isn't a regular argument"
11:24 The LEAP model: Listen, Empathize, Agree, Partner
17:09 Finding care that meets people where they are
20:15 When nothing seems to be working
21:45 Setting limits at home
23:06 For the families still waiting for things to get better
24:53 The three C's, and why recovery is a marathon
27:13 Thanks and how to reach us

Mentioned in this episode: "I Am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help!" by Dr. Xavier Amador.

Send us your own impossible questions at understandingpsychosispodcast.com

Thank you to Michael Osborne and Jacob Weiss at 14th Street Studios for production support.

Understanding Psychosis is an independent educational podcast. It is not an official program of Stanford Health Care or the INSPIRE Clinic, and it is not a substitute for medical advice. If you or someone you love is in crisis, call or text 988 (US) or go to the nearest emergency room.

Meet Dr. Jacob Ballon and Will Carlson and hear what to expect from Understanding Psychosis: conversations about the science, personal experiences, and difficult questions surrounding psychosis. An independent educational podcast, not a substitute for professional care.