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  • Episode 7: Episode 007 : "I Thought of My Brother"

    Episode 7: Episode 007 : "I Thought of My Brother"
    2022/06/04
    There is a growing epidemic of youth suicide in our culture, and everyone seems either to claim to have pinpointed the cause, or has no idea what to attribute it to.  The statistics of its rise are clear, however, so it's high time we started speaking our stories about suicide and suicidal ideation to try to bring those numbers down.  Mark's older son, Nathan -- who was diagnosed with bipolar type 2 as a teenager -- joins the program to talk about his battles with thoughts of ending his life as early as middle school, including how often those thoughts occurred, how two of his friends' deaths affected his own contemplation of mortality, and what ultimately stopped him from following through on his impulses. These are difficult conversations.  We need to have them, anyway. Content warning: suicide https://www.facebook.com/OpeningTheWindowPodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/openingthewindow/ Theme music: "Mistakes" by Adam Rabin : https://mailbox.bandcamp.com/ New Yorker article referenced in this episode: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/04/11/the-mystifying-rise-of-child-suicide
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    34 分
  • Episode 6: Episode 006 : Bad Behavior ... or Mental Illness?

    Episode 6: Episode 006 : Bad Behavior ... or Mental Illness?
    2022/04/22
    He's made national news for his recent legal troubles, but for your host, the saga of character actor Eddie Deezen has a local component, as they're from more or less the same small western Maryland town.  Deezen's actions at dining establishments and private homes have gotten him arrested and have led many to either defend or scorn him.  At first, his behavior looked a lot like entitlement.  As events unfolded over the past year, it started to appear there was much more going on from a mental illness standpoint.  But is religion getting in the way of him seeking help?  And how can we tell when bad behavior is more than just that...that there's an underlying issue that needs to be addressed? There are no easy answers, but we'll try to unpack what's going on and apply it to a wider perspective on mental health, enabling, gossip, and consequences, not just for Deezen, but for ourselves. https://www.facebook.com/OpeningTheWindowPodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/openingthewindow/ Theme music: "Mistakes" by Adam Rabin : https://mailbox.bandcamp.com/
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    19 分
  • Episode 5: Episode 005 : You Keep Using That Word...

    Episode 5: Episode 005 : You Keep Using That Word...
    2022/04/07
    "You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means."  -Inigo Montoya, "The Princess Bride" We're all guilty of speaking or writing before we think about the effect the words that casually leave our mouths or fingertips will have on others.  Have you ever considered that words like "manic" or "OCD" are thrown around in incorrect ways that make those who have mental illnesses feel slighted, diminished, or broken?  We could insist we don't mean anything by them, or we could rethink our own use of language so that we keep from minimizing the battles that our friends, family, or complete strangers fight with their mental health.  But does that make us "snowflakes" or "language police"? Here's why I think you should feel empowered to stand up for yourself and others when it comes to intentional or unintentional language-based microaggressions. https://www.facebook.com/OpeningTheWindowPodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/openingthewindow/ Theme music: "Mistakes" by Adam Rabin : https://mailbox.bandcamp.com/
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    14 分
  • Episode 4: Episode 004 : When Did You Know?

    Episode 4: Episode 004 : When Did You Know?
    2022/03/24
    Often there comes a time in the lives of those with mental illness when they realize that they're not just sad or anxious; there's something deeper happening in their brains.  For many it comes in young adulthood, but when looking back, maybe the onset was even earlier.  What happens when a young brain that doesn't have the vocabulary to express the range of emotions going on experiences a triggering incident?  And how does a parent recognize the difference between bad behavior and something like bipolar disorder? We may not have all the answers here, but we have some stories that perhaps sound familiar to you. Content warning: self-harm, suicidal ideation https://www.facebook.com/OpeningTheWindowPodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/openingthewindow/ Theme music: "Mistakes" by Adam Rabin : https://mailbox.bandcamp.com/
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    19 分
  • Episode 3: Episode 003 : Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn

    Episode 3: Episode 003 : Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn
    2022/02/21
    The word "triggered" is often thrown around as an insult these days, demonstrating a lack of empathy toward those people, places, objects, and events that can cause some of us to exhibit what used to be called the fight-or-flight response.  In recent years, two additional possibilities – freeze and fawn – have been tacked on.  Most of us can point to something or someone in our lives that even if it happened years ago will still trigger us into a minor or major panic. I detail one of mine here – the loss of a close friendship – and what I try to do to control the freeze response when the trigger is unavoidable. Content warning: Anxiety, loss of friendship https://www.facebook.com/OpeningTheWindowPodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/openingthewindow/ Theme music: "Mistakes" by Adam Rabin : https://mailbox.bandcamp.com/
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    19 分
  • Episode 2: Episode 002 : The "Gift" of Being Gifted

    Episode 2: Episode 002 : The "Gift" of Being Gifted
    2022/02/09
    Like many high-achieving children from my generation and later, I was once labeled "gifted" academically.  The older I got, the more I realized how that label created perfectionist tendencies and unhealthy avoidance of anything at which I couldn't excel immediately.  While my anxiety was manageable, for others (including those whose comments are recorded here), the pressure from parents, peers, educators, and other adults led to deep-rooted problems that have taken decades to overcome.  I have also struggled in how not to transfer my own perfectionism to my sons. It's time we rethink how we talk to and about "gifted" children. Content warning: Anxiety, eating disorders, suicidal ideation https://www.facebook.com/OpeningTheWindowPodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/openingthewindow/
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    22 分
  • Episode 1: Episode 001 : We Just Didn't Talk About It

    Episode 1: Episode 001 : We Just Didn't Talk About It
    2022/01/25
    My grandmother passed away at age 81 holding onto a lot of secrets about her childhood. Those secrets ate away at her mental health and were my first experience with a loved one going through an undiagnosed mental illness. She never got the help she needed, because her generation – and to a large extent mine – just didn't talk about that sort of thing. What would the people at church or in the neighborhood think if they knew? This all made my eighth birthday party memorable, and not in a good way. Content warning: bipolar disorder, depression, child abuse https://www.facebook.com/OpeningTheWindowPodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/openingthewindow/
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    14 分