Mental Illness Happy Hour - podcast cover

Mental Illness Happy Hour

Paul Gilmartinart19.com

"Remarkable" - Psychology Today

"A vital, compassionate gem that fills a desperate and under-addressed need in our society." - Esquire

"A perversely safe place in which he and his guests talk about their fears, addictions and traumatic childhoods." - NY Times

"Gilmartin makes a conscious effort to explore stories that aren’t black and white" - Slate Magazine

"Praised by listeners all over the world" - Atlantic Monthly

Named To Top Health Podcast List by: NY Times, Esquire, Slate, Oprah Magazine, Women's Health, Onion A.V. Club, Apple Podcast Staff

Last refreshed:
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Episode 192: Cheryl Klein

The breast cancer survivor opens up about her lifelong hypochondria, OCD and anxiety. She talks about the emotional toll of infertility, having a miscarriage and the ensuing depression as well as her double mastectomy, having had a hysterectomy (because of the BRCA2 Gene) and the perspectives she gained by going through all of it. Not a downer, I swear! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://ar...

Sep 26, 20142 hr 36 min

Episode 191: Matt Oswalt (voted #8 ep of 2014)

The 43 year-old comedy writer opens up about his idyllic childhood, and a couple of traumatic events he believes contribute to his isolating and fighting the demons of depression while being single, unemployed and living alone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sep 19, 20141 hr 36 min

Episode 190: Aparna Nancherla

The first generation Indian-American comedian opens up about her low self-esteem, perfectionism, depression, anxiety, eating disorder, the trap of becoming the "good child" and the constant struggle to not compare herself to others. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sep 12, 20141 hr 55 min

Episode 189: Lance L

The pansexual Iraqi war veteran talks about his plans to come out to his homophobic family, growing up with a mother who picked terrible men, his deadbeat dad and meeting a half-brother & doing a joint road trip to confront the father that abandoned them both. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sep 05, 20142 hr 15 min

Episode 188: Ask Erika Holmes MFT

Marriage and Family Therapist Erika Holmes answers listener questions from Facebook and Twitter. Topics include Eating Disorders, Borderline Personality Disorder, PTSD therapies, Neurofeedback and potential damage caused by parents who are religious zealots. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Aug 29, 20141 hr 52 min

Episode 187: Susanna Lee

The comedian/burlesque dancer talks about the power, pitfalls and rush of performing with and without her clothes on, including being a sex worker at a "jack shack" to make ends meet. She opens up about her low self-esteem, struggles with her dad and the desire for truth no matter how bleak it may be. She also shares about being attracted to unavailable men who hide their relationship with her from their friends and family. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy ...

Aug 22, 20142 hr 35 min

Episode 186: Jimmy Doyle

The former Second City improviser turned drug & alcohol counselor talks about his mother's suicide when he was 12, coming out at 16 (in 1981), getting physically sober but being emotionally toxic and being fired from the prestigious improv company and finally having to change. They talk about Jimmy's breakthrough in doing EMDR and CBT therapy. Paul also shares some listener emails and surveys around the topic of suicide given the nature of this week's Robin Williams tragedy. On the surface i...

Aug 15, 20141 hr 58 min

Episode 185: Dese'Rae L Stage

The photographer and activist talks about her bookwormish childhood, coming out in high school, the abusive relationship she couldn't bear to leave and her project which documents the stories of suicide attempt survivors (she is one) Live Through This. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Aug 08, 20141 hr 57 min

Episode 184: Pamela Martin

Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Fibromyalgia, ME, etc) a purely physical ailment or is there also an emotional component related to trauma. Pamela shares about being an incest survivor as well as the challenges of living with CFS and being a people pleaser. She also shares about raising a child with Selective Mutism and learning to be emotionally intimate with her supportive husband. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California ...

Aug 01, 20141 hr 54 min

Episode 183: Jason Nash

Recently diagnosed with BiPolar II, the actor and director of Jason Nash is Married talks about his fear of being just like his dad, his inability to fully enjoy what others seem to be able to easily enjoy, including being married and a stay at-home dad. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jul 25, 20142 hr 7 min

Episode 182: Pia Glenn

The writer/performer shares about being raised by a violent and mentally unstable mother who refused to take meds, often leading to 911 calls and police. She also talks about her own depression, anxiety, perfectionism and relationship struggles. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jul 18, 20142 hr 15 min

Episode 181: Lauren Hennessy

The actor/singer and fiance of past guest Chemda talks about being a trans male (male but born into a female body) and despite his religious upbringing (his father is a minister) coming to embrace being transgender. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jul 11, 20141 hr 43 min

Episode 180: Jill Morley

At 40, Jilll took up competitive boxing to work through the childhood PTSD caused by her mother's physical abuse. She shares about living with depression, aiding other female fighters and making her documentary Fight Like a Girl. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jul 04, 20141 hr 43 min

Episode 179: Tyler W.

The 26 year-old law student talks about his struggles with addiction especially bulimia, assuming the role of caretaker for his alcoholic parents when he was a child, a jarring move to a racially intolerant "Christian" city, and the peace he has today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jun 27, 20141 hr 53 min

Episode 178: Anna Akana

The performer/writer/director best known for her popular YouTube channel opens up about growing up with a Japanese father and Filipino mother where mistakes were not tolerated. She also shares about her sister's suicide, lying, drugs & sex. Visit Anna's Youtube Channel, her Facebook Page, her Twitter Feed or her website. PillPack sponsors this show. To check it out (and to help the podcast) go to Pillpack.com/happyhour. BrainHQ sponsors this show. For 10% off a monthly or yearly subscription...

Jun 20, 20141 hr 54 min

Episode 177: Michael H.

The 25 year-old Taiwanese American shares about his co-dependency, painful breakups and perfectionism as well as the irony that as a trained therapist he knows he should establish boundaries with his mother but cannot bring himself to do so. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jun 13, 20141 hr 52 min

Episode 176: Bernadette

The 36 year-old mother shares about the middle-class version of Cops that was her childhood, her Borderline Personality Disorder, suicide attempts and the drinking problem she can't bring herself to confront despite its effect on her children & boyfriend. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jun 06, 20141 hr 57 min

Episode 174: Andrea Schaeffer

The Canadian listener talks about the masks she feels she had to wear to deal with childhood sadness, being raped at 16, and experiencing postpartum depression. She talks about the support groups & the health care system that saved her life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 23, 20142 hr

Episode 173: Julian F

His childhood was a flurry of moving all over Europe and South America, his parents treated him like "Good Cop Bad Cop" and he has no idea why he felt like a "little pervert" as a kid. They talk about manipulation, addiction, mania & a lot more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 16, 20141 hr 59 min

Episode 172: Lynette Carolla

The mother, wife and podcaster(For Crying Out Loud) talks about being pushed to be a child actor, the psychosis that mental illness brought upon her brother and mother, abusing Vicodin in an attempt to deal with postpartum depression and living with her husband Adam. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 09, 20142 hr 8 min

Episode 171: Tom Kramer

The writer/director (Fridays, Curb Your Enthusiasm) shares about being sexually shamed, his fear of people and the drug and alcohol battles that took the great career he had been given at 20 and burned it to the ground, leaving him homeless. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 02, 20142 hr 4 min

Episode 170: Christina Pazsitzky

The standup/actress shares about being the only child of parents who fled Communist Hungary, and after their divorce absorbing the brunt of her mothers mental illness (Borderline Personality Disorder). She shares about the emotional scars and how she's working to heal them. Christina co-hosts the podcast Your Mom's House with her husband/comedian Tom Segura. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https...

Apr 25, 20141 hr 53 min

Episode 169: Mini Ep - Guilt w/Dr. Guy Winch

Clinical psychologist Dr. Guy Winch shares some insights and tips on how to deal with guilt, plus some listener surveys. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 21, 201454 min

Episode 168: Sexual Confusion - Kira

The 29 year-old shares about the shame of having intrusive thoughts imagining sex with children; getting blackout drunk to the point of violence and making peace with coming out as a lesbian after years of not understanding why she disliked sex with men. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 18, 20142 hr 12 min

Mini Ep #167 - Failure w/Dr. Guy Winch

Clinical psychologist Dr. Guy Winch shares some insights and tips for dealing with failure. Guy is the author of the book Emotional First Aid. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 14, 201432 min

Episode 166: Tracy Irvine

The 40 year-old corporate recruiter shares about growing up with a sick mother (ALS) whose needs overshadowed hers, losing both her parents in her teens, using food for comfort, surviving an abusive marriage, depression, support groups, meds & self-love. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 11, 20141 hr 45 min

Mini Episode 165: Low Self-Esteem (voted #4 ep of 2014)

Clinical psychologist Dr. Guy Winch shares some insights and tips on dealing with low self-esteem. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 07, 201440 min

Episode 164: Natasha L.

After Natasha's mother died she discovered her diaries. What she read was horrifying to the average person but had the opposite effect on her. She shares about her mother's apparent Borderline Personality Disorder and how it has affected her. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 04, 20141 hr 47 min

#163 Mini-Ep: Loneliness w/Dr. Guy Winch (voted #6 ep of 2014)

Clinical psychologist Dr. Guy Winch shares some insights and tips on dealing with loneliness. Guy is the author or the book Emotional First Aid. Paul also reads some surveys over his dog's objections. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 01, 201428 min

Episode 162: Monica LIttle

The mother and wife of a combat medic talks about her battles with intimacy, anxiety, drug abuse and the family that turned a blind eye to her pedophile grandfather. She also talks about how being raped at 19 affected her sexuality. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mar 28, 20142 hr 4 min
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android