Most people have seen movies or TV shows that have used schizophrenia as part of their story. But how often do we stop to think about what those representations actually mean or look like? Do they portray the experience of people living with schizophrenia accurately? As studies have shown, schizophrenia is one of the conditions that the general public views most negatively and generates a lot of stigma. Societal stigma is one aspect, but for those living with serious mental illnesses like schizo...
Jun 08, 2022•22 min
Since we kicked off our second season talking to someone who embraced her diagnosis of schizophrenia — we thought it would only be fitting to end this season with another guest who also doing her own heavy lifting when it comes to educating, creating awareness, and breaking myths about schizophrenia. In this episode, Faydra will be introducing you to Lauren Kennedy. She's a mental health advocate, social worker, wife, a step-mother to two children, and mom to a new baby. But Lauren also lives wi...
Feb 23, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 8
In many cultures around the world, mental illness is still highly stigmatized and rarely talked about. Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at how mental illness is viewed and talked about in the South Asian Community, one of the largest ethno-cultural groups in Canada. Talking about mental illness, getting help, or even getting diagnosed is hindered by generational gaps, language barriers, and perceived taboos, just to name a few. In this episode, we’ll hear four voices sharing their personal e...
Feb 09, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Schizophrenia. It's neither new nor rare and in fact it's existed for centuries — and it's the one mental illness that seems to be synonymous with madness. And despite being around for a long time, virtually everything we know about schizophrenia has been learned in the past 200 years — and mostly in the later parts of the 20th and 21st centuries. With the help of Dr. Adrian Preda, this episode takes us on a brief historical journey of schizophrenia – from then to now – and the stigma that exist...
Jan 26, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Throughout this season, we have taken a deeper look into serious mental illnesses, like schizophrenia, and dived in headfirst to talk to professionals and family members about the subject. But what if I told you that symptoms of schizophrenia are also experienced by people with autism? Even more revealing, people with autism are at a higher risk of developing schizophrenia. If a person has both a developmental disability and a mental health problem, such as schizophrenia, they have a dual diagno...
Jan 12, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 5
People learn from personal experiences. 1 out of 100 live with schizophrenia and until host Faydra Aldridge's sister was diagnosed with it, she thought it was something that only happened to others. But it isn’t, it's something that happened to and affected her family and affects almost every one of us in some way either directly or indirectly. This episode is a little different as you'll get to be a part of a very real and candid conversation between Faydra and her mother Linda as they revisit ...
Dec 08, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Researchers have estimated that about 80 percent of the risk for developing Schizophrenia is hereditary and yet that doesn't mean people with that genetic component in their family history will actually develop the disorder. Sometimes Schizophrenia risk increases through a random mutation that is not passed from parent to child. In this episode, we'll be looking at the role genetics plays in the development and onset of Schizophrenia. Is it all about your genes? Or are there other potential risk...
Nov 24, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the symptoms of schizophrenia. In particular, the cognitive losses that can be associated with serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Anosognosia is a medical term meaning 'to not know a disease.' This occurs for people with brain injuries as well as mental illness, and means someone is literally unaware of their own mental health condition or they can't see it accurately. This lack of insight is not a rejection of a diagn...
Nov 10, 2021•26 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Mental illness touches everyone's lives, whether we want to admit it or not. And yet, mental illnesses like schizophrenia are rarely discussed publicly. That lack of conversation is what our guest is hoping to change. Meet Michelle Hammer, a mental health advocate, entrepreneur and graphic designer. She challenges the idea that schizophrenia should be hidden and hush-hush with bold eye-catching designs. Michelle shares her personal journey around mental illness, what it looks like to let everyon...
Oct 27, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Brought to you by the BC Schizophrenia Society and supporting BC Partner organizations, "Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined” returns for a second season this fall beginning October 27. This time the podcast goes deeper with the subjects we tackle, the guests we talk to and the research we dive into — we're pushing you to really look at what it's like to live with mental illness. Host Faydra Aldridge, CEO of BCSS, will speak with medical experts, family members, and people with lived experien...
Oct 07, 2021•1 min•Season 2Ep. 1
It's not easy to live with a serious mental illness, like schizophrenia, and the future sometimes seems daunting and hopeless. But many people living with serious mental illnesses, like schizophrenia, are able to lead full and rewarding lives. It may not be what one imagined, but then life never is. In this episode, host Faydra Aldridge speaks with Erin Emiru, a scientist and young mother who has Schizophrenia, about what’s it like to live with this disorder that may be “incurable” -- but defini...
Jul 07, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Serious question: Why is it that when people show signs of serious mental illness or psychosis -- calling the police for help is often viewed as a "last resort" by families and loved ones? Historically, when law enforcement and mental illness intersect, the results have been patchy. But Sgt. Cara Thomson of Surrey RCMP's Police Mental Health Outreach team wants to change that. Her unit handles police-related mental health and addiction calls for service and staffs the Car 67 program, where a reg...
Jun 23, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 7
It's a hard reality that mental illness and substance use often coincide. Combine these factors with poverty and social marginalization, and you have the snowballing problem known as "concurrent disorders." Dr. Bill MacEwan has spent the last 20+ years working with patients in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, a neighbourhood that is home to around 20,000 people with almost 25% of the people suffering from mental illness. He's also the medical lead for the city's Downtown Community Court psychiatri...
Jun 09, 2021•16 min•Season 1Ep. 6
On this episode of Look Again we’re asking: what’s at the root of the hesitation around using medication to treat mental illness? How do the medications actually work on the brain? And what other treatments work in combination with medications? Host Faydra Aldridge speaks with Dr. Fidel Vila-Rodriguez from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. Additional Resources: Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Therapies (NINET) Laboratory (UBC Department of Psychiatry) Safety, tole...
May 26, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Right now, there's an idea that cannabis is a harmless drug and some people say they use it to help their mental health. But for those predisposed to serious mental illnesses such as Schizophrenia, science tells us it’s not that cut and dry. Host Faydra Aldridge of BCSS, along with her guest Dr. Nick Mathew, a practising addiction and forensic psychiatrist, look at how society grapples with cannabis use in a time of greater legalization; and how cannabis can be both helpful and dangerous to peop...
May 12, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this special episode, learn about the alarming statistics revealing Schizophrenia as the second-highest risk factor in COVID-19 mortality rates, and discover what it’s like to live through a pandemic with a mental illness. In part one, host Faydra Aldridge is joined by a woman who witnessed how the stress and uncertainty of living in the time of COVID have exacerbated her brother's mental illness. And in part two, we interview Dr. Katlyn Nemani, NYU Langone neuropsychiatrist and lead author o...
Apr 28, 2021•32 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In this episode, host Faydra Aldridge illuminates the reality of what it's like to experience auditory hallucinations, or “hear voices,” by speaking to people who have lived it. Faydra is joined by Dr. Randall White, the Medical Director of Community Mental Health in Vancouver and the clinical director of the BC Psychosis Program at UBC Hospital, to talk about what is psychosis, what it means, and what to do in a situation when someone is experiencing psychosis. Resources: Early Psychosis Interv...
Apr 14, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 2
While mental health is a well-covered topic, people often lump it together with mental illness. We want to challenge the idea that disorders like Schizophrenia are 'mental health' issues. Listen in to our first episode of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined, where host Faydra Aldridge of BCSS along with her guest Dr. Diane McIntosh, a clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, look at the difference between the two terms; why mental illness needs its own specific plan...
Mar 31, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 1
"Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined” is a groundbreaking new podcast brought to you by the BC Schizophrenia Society and supporting partners. The podcast brings forward the humanity of mental illness while dispelling the myths by sharing the voices of medical experts, family members, and people with lived experience with mental illness. Host Faydra Aldridge, CEO of BCSS, speaks with medical experts, families, and people with lived experience of mental illness to dispel myths and get to the tr...
Mar 10, 2021•1 min
