Unseen & Unheard

After decades of misdiagnosis, Tara was relieved when she was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and finally received the right treatment. As a single mom in a small rural town, she was transparent with her children about her mental health struggles and reinforced the importance of being open and honest during these conversations, especially as they experienced the prevalent stigma from locals and loved ones after her diagnosis. Tara is Unseen & Unheard season 2 host Kody’s wonderful mother, and her story highlights the importance of communication and understanding when caring for a loved one, or even yourself.

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Bethany was an accomplished violinist and was planning to become a doctor when she started experiencing schizophrenia symptoms during her first year at her dream college. As her life changed, she became homeless and eventually received an official schizophrenia diagnosis. With the support of her family, she finally found a doctor who believed in her recovery and helped her find the right treatment plan. Now she is dedicated to advocating for the schizophrenia community by sharing her story and through her nonprofit foundation.

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What do Nathan and Richard have in common? They are two people who didn’t let their schizophrenia diagnoses stop them from pursuing their passions. For Nathan, his incredible appetite for reading and reviewing books fuels his work as a writer, podcaster, and social media-based book critic, while Richard focuses on making and producing great music. The pair share how they’ve continued to pursue their long-term goals while establishing boundaries and understanding their limitations following their schizophrenia diagnoses.  

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As someone both living with and treating others with schizophrenia, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Carlos has a unique perspective. His experience has been instrumental in guiding his patient advocacy work and spurring him to pursue a law degree. Carlos’ story is filled with hope as he shares what it was like to discover possibility and a “new normal” following a schizophrenia diagnosis.

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Growing up, Kristen witnessed her mother’s struggles with mental illness and the lasting impact it had on her family. Then she dealt with her own schizophrenia diagnosis and was inspired to write a book about her experience. Kristen’s story shines a light on the challenges and gifts of caregiving as well as the importance of strong support systems and self-care.

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Welcome to Season 2 of Unseen & Unheard: the podcast aiming to change the way we see schizophrenia by revealing the untold and unfiltered stories of those actually living with it. Each episode, we’ll hear from some of the millions of adults in the US working to manage the condition through intimate, honest conversations about things that make us laugh, cry, think, and most importantly, remind us of how connected we truly are no matter what challenges we face. Hosted by content creator, nonprofit founder and mental health advocate Kody Green, who lives with schizophrenia. The artwork for this podcast was created by artists living with schizophrenia.

The Unseen & Unheard podcast is sponsored by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. The host and guests have been compensated by Janssen for their time to participate in this podcast. The views and stories they share today about their experiences with schizophrenia are their own. Learn more at HopeForSchizophrenia.com.

A self-described “black sheep” in the Orthodox Jewish community, Aviva* found an unlikely home in the New York metal scene. A story of discovering who you are, and where you belong, in the throes of schizoaffective disorder.

*Name has been changed to protect the privacy of those involved in this story.

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When Swiyyah and Dederick got married, her schizophrenia was a challenge they thought was under control. Until it wasn’t. Listen as they share their story of facing life’s many challenges with love, faith, and each other.

This episode contains some, but not all, details about the care of Swiyyah and Dederick’s daughter following her birth due to the complicated nature of this time in their lives.

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A musician, comedian and storyteller, Joshua was on tour when mania and delusions threw him into a tailspin. This is a story about the boundary between creativity and schizoaffective disorder, and how one man traversed it to move forward.

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As a caregiver for her son living with schizophrenia, Ann never expected, in her late 40s, to receive a schizophrenia diagnosis herself. But hers is a story of surviving the unimaginable, both the harrowing and the hopeful, thanks to the support all around her.

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