Mental Illness Happy Hour

A young man’s journey through bipolar I psychosis and a chaotic hospitalization. Conversations cover manic creativity, substance use masking illness, vivid hallucinations, and emergency system failures. Partners and family share the scramble to get help, medication trials, and relearning routine during recovery.

Forrest Lang is an author and CSA (child sex abuse) advocate. He shares the story of his own childhood abuse, growing up in the foster care system, the death of his best friend, and how the Navy saved him. Look for his memoir, Angel Blue: A Song Of Redemption.More about Forrest etc:https://www.instagram.com/forrestlangofficial?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qrhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063723156268&mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfrhttps://youtube.com/@forrest619?si=5jFDz_OTG7BxCelXhttps://angelbluebook.com/shop/https://a.co/d/dGVg9mXhttps://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/angel-blue-a-song-of-redemption-unabridged/id1641763928https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/angel-blue-forrest-lang/1147815412This episode is sponsored Quince. Go to www.Quince.com/mental for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.This episode is sponsored by Alma. Search their directory of over 20,000 therapists with different specialities, life experiences, and identities, and 99% of them take insurance. Go to www.HelloAlma.com/happyhourThis episode is sponsored by Timeline. Timeline’s clinically proven formula is now available at a new, lower price . Mitopure now starts at $99, with the exact same science and formula and listeners can still get 20% off when they go to www.timeline.com/MENTALThis episode is sponsored by The Jordan Harbinger Show. Learn more about the world, improve your critical thinking skills and be entertained! Listen or subscribe here: jordanharbinger.com/subscribe Apple Podcasts: jordanharbinger.com/itunesSpotify: jordanharbinger.com/spotifyHere are the two episodes Paul recommended.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1280-cory-doctorow-why-everything-got-worse-and-what/id1344999619?i=1000747830030Andhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1238-ken-burns-what-if-the-american-revolution-isnt-over/id1344999619?i=1000736232557If you’re interested in seeing or buying the furniture that Paul designs and makes follow his IG @ShapedFurniture or visit the website www.shapedfurniture.comWAYS TO HELP THE MIHH PODCASTSubscribe via Apple Podcasts (or whatever player you use). It costs nothing. It’s extremely helpful to have your subscription set to download all episodes automatically. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mental-illness-happy-hour/id427377900?mt=2Spread the word via social media.  It costs nothing.Our website is www.mentalpod.com our FB is www.Facebook.com/mentalpod and our Twitter and Instagram are both @Mentalpod  Become a much-needed Patreon monthly-donor (with occasional rewards) for as little as $1/month at www.Patreon.com/mentalpod  Become a one-time or monthly donor via PayPal at https://mentalpod.com/donateYou can also donate via Zelle (make payment to mentalpod@gmail.com) To donate via Venmo make payment to @Mentalpod See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brianne Davis, relationship and trauma coach and author, drops in as a trusted support figure. They talk about sitting with painful feelings, resisting numbing and relapse triggers, and how trauma shows up in the body. Conversations cover inner-child work, naming the mean voice, journaling to spot cognitive swings, and why prioritizing healing matters.

Jenny Lawson, bestselling humor writer and mental-health advocate, explains how honest storytelling helped her survive. She talks candidly about anxiety, treatment-resistant depression, compulsive hair- and skin-picking, panic at live events, setting boundaries and creative coping strategies. The conversation mixes dark humor with practical vulnerability.

Laurenne Sala, author and storyteller who turned personal trauma into creative work. She talks about growing up codependent, her father coming out and dying by suicide, and the long road through grief and recovery. Short, candid stories explore masking pain, using storytelling and volunteer work to heal, and how vulnerability led to compassion and creative projects.

Maria Bamford, comedian and actor known for candidly discussing her mental health, shares her history with OCD, intrusive thoughts, bipolar II, hospital stays, and recovery. The conversation ranges from how she turns pain into comedy to therapy, medication struggles, ward life, and the slow, grateful work of getting back to performing.

Andrea Leeb, writer and memoirist who survived incest and now advocates for survivors. She recounts childhood abuse, maternal betrayal, and the long path to reclaiming her voice. Conversations cover grooming, dissociation, self-harm, how books offered refuge, and turning trauma into a healing memoir that connects with others.

Olga Khazan is an author and staff writer for The Atlantic. Today she talks about the experiments she undertook to change her own personality traits over the course of a year, which inspired her new book, Me, But Better. She also shares her good and bad experiences with anxiety--and why she has an attachment to the condition. More about Olga Khazan: Her Substack writing: https://olgakhazan.substack.com/Her IG. www.Instagram.com/olganatorHer book/website: www.OlgaKhazan.comThis episode is sponsored Quince. Go to www.Quince.com/mental for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.This episode is sponsored by Alma. Search their directory of over 20,000 therapists with different specialities, life experiences, and identities, and 99% of them take insurance. Go to www.HelloAlma.com/happyhourThis episode is sponsored by The Jordan Harbinger Show. Learn more about the world, improve your critical thinking skills and be entertained! Listen or subscribe here: jordanharbinger.com/subscribe Apple Podcasts: jordanharbinger.com/itunesSpotify: jordanharbinger.com/spotifyHere are the two episodes Paul recommended.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1280-cory-doctorow-why-everything-got-worse-and-what/id1344999619?i=1000747830030Andhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1238-ken-burns-what-if-the-american-revolution-isnt-over/id1344999619?i=1000736232557If you’re interested in seeing or buying the furniture that Paul designs and makes follow his IG @ShapedFurniture or visit the website www.shapedfurniture.comWAYS TO HELP THE MIHH PODCASTSubscribe via Apple Podcasts (or whatever player you use). It costs nothing. It’s extremely helpful to have your subscription set to download all episodes automatically. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mental-illness-happy-hour/id427377900?mt=2Spread the word via social media.  It costs nothing.Our website is www.mentalpod.com our FB is www.Facebook.com/mentalpod and our Twitter and Instagram are both @Mentalpod  Become a much-needed Patreon monthly-donor (with occasional rewards) for as little as $1/month at www.Patreon.com/mentalpod  Become a one-time or monthly donor via PayPal at https://mentalpod.com/donateYou can also donate via Zelle (make payment to mentalpod@gmail.com) To donate via Venmo make payment to @Mentalpod See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

 Erin Valente is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) who gives practical advice for managing issues in your marriage, including moving through divorce. She also opens up about her abusive childhood and the work she’s done to heal, as well as the process of her own divorce.For more about Erin: www.erinvalentetherapy.comThis episode is sponsored Quince. Go to www.Quince.com/mental for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.This episode is sponsored by Alma. Search their directory of over 20,000 therapists with different specialities, life experiences, and identities, and 99% of them take insurance. Go to www.HelloAlma.com/happyhourThis episode is sponsored by The Jordan Harbinger Show. Learn more about the world, improve your critical thinking skills and be entertained! Listen or subscribe here: jordanharbinger.com/subscribe Apple Podcasts: jordanharbinger.com/itunesSpotify: jordanharbinger.com/spotifyHere are the two episodes Paul recommended.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1280-cory-doctorow-why-everything-got-worse-and-what/id1344999619?i=1000747830030Andhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1238-ken-burns-what-if-the-american-revolution-isnt-over/id1344999619?i=1000736232557If you’re interested in seeing or buying the furniture that Paul designs and makes follow his IG @ShapedFurniture or visit the website www.shapedfurniture.comWAYS TO HELP THE MIHH PODCASTSubscribe via Apple Podcasts (or whatever player you use). It costs nothing. It’s extremely helpful to have your subscription set to download all episodes automatically. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mental-illness-happy-hour/id427377900?mt=2Spread the word via social media.  It costs nothing.Our website is www.mentalpod.com our FB is www.Facebook.com/mentalpod and our Twitter and Instagram are both @Mentalpod  Become a much-needed Patreon monthly-donor (with occasional rewards) for as little as $1/month at www.Patreon.com/mentalpod  Become a one-time or monthly donor via PayPal at https://mentalpod.com/donateYou can also donate via Zelle (make payment to mentalpod@gmail.com) To donate via Venmo make payment to @Mentalpod See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mike de la Rocha, musician, author, and activist who wrote Sacred Lessons, talks about masculinity, cultural identity, and learning to be vulnerable. He traces Chicano roots, code-switching, and how punk culture created belonging. He explores grief, speaking to his father after death, and launching work that addresses men's loneliness and healing.