Mental Illness Happy Hour

Mental Illness Happy Hour

"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

Episodes

October 31, 2025 73 mins

Tyler Smith was paralyzed from the neck down after contracting the West Nile virus. He and his wife, Jenny, join Paul for the second time to open up about the rage, shock, and loneliness of having become paralyzed as well as the stress and emotional toll it takes on Jenny to caretake someone with Tyler’s condition.


Tyler & Jenny’s GoFundMe

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-tyler-smith-year-two

Follow Tyler on X @...

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Amanda Uhle is a journalist and nonfiction writer who shares her story of a loving but turbulent childhood and what it was like to grow up in a house of hoarders. Look for her new memoir, Destroy This House.

For more about Amanda:

https://www.amandauhle.com/

https://www.instagram.com/amanda.uhle/?hl=en

This episode is sponsored Quince. Go to www.Quince.com/mental for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now av...

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Robert Suttle joins Paul to share his experience with the criminalization of HIV. He talks about the unexpected arrest related to his diagnosis, his experience in prison, and living with HIV in the modern day.

Links/Resources that Robert mentioned:

Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation site: https://elizabethtayloraidsfoundation.org/

Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation's HIV is Not a Crime initiative site: https://www.hivis...

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October 10, 2025 55 mins

Our second installment of the darkest surveys filled out anonymously by listeners.  


This 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 NOCD.  If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https:...

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Rick Cleveland is a playwright and television writer (The West Wing, Six Feet Under) who shares the difficulties--and the gifts--of living with Bipolar disorder.


This 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 NOCD.  If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thought...

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September 26, 2025 83 mins

Matthew Broussard is a comedian (Hyperbolic) who shares his struggles with mental health and opens up, for the first time, about his experience with self-harm.

For more about Matthew, including his most recent standup special. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UECGG-CD88

The New York Times called it a "pleasingly punchy debut hour" and said "His precisely timed and rarefied jokes are polished to a sheen. These are comedy...

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Katie Simon is a journalist and sexual assault survivor. They talk about the impact that sexual assault can have on your sex life and share resources for how to manage and discuss this complex situation. For more info, look for their new book, Tell Me What You Like: An Honest Discussion of Sex and Intimacy After Sexual Assault.


This episode is sponsored by NOCD.  If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting in...

Ali Siddiq is a comedian and writer who shares his stories of abuse, incarceration, grief, and the importance of friendship. Find all of his powerful stand-up specials, including the newly released standup special Rugged (on YouTube).

This episode is sponsored by NOCD.  If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.noc...

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Dr. Ellen Hendriksen is a clinical psychologist at Boston University who specializes in perfectionism and anxiety, with a particular focus on social anxiety. She returns to the podcast to talk about her research and share tools for managing these issues. Watch for her new book, How to Be Enough.

More about Dr. Ellen Hendriksen:

Her website (with links to buy her books) https://www.ellenhendriksen.com/

Twitter @Ellen...

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August 29, 2025 70 mins

Fellow survivor, recovering addict and therapist Jen Westcott joins Paul again to read some Shame And Secrets Surveys filled out anonymously by listeners.  


For More About Jen:

Therapist Sanctuary Clinical Supervision Community

https://youtube.com/@therapistsanctuary?si=LXxyNlcClD00m-Qz

https://www.holistichealingcounselling.com/therapist-sanctuary

https://insta.openinapp.co/7s936


BIG FAVOR ASK FROM PAUL: It would h...

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Tina Kaye, a friend from Paul’s support group, shares her story of growing up with an unstable mother, being raised Mormon, and all of the rage and resentment that she’s had to work through.


BIG FAVOR ASK FROM PAUL: It would help the show if you took a really quick (2 min) survey for potential advertisers. We did one in the past but they need a new one. You can take it at Gum.FM/Mental. 


If you’re inte...

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Dr. Caroline Fleck is a cognitive behavioral psychologist, an author, and an Adjunct Clinical Instructor at Stanford. She joins Paul to discuss validation and the importance of belonging. She also provides useful tips on how to support yourself and others with acceptance. Look for her new book, Validation: How the Skill Set That Revolutionized Psychology Will Transform Your Relationships, Increase Your Influence, and ...

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August 8, 2025 83 mins

Sabrina Capper grew up in the Mormon Church. She shares her story of manipulation, generational abuse, and how she finally escaped. Look for her new book, Licking the Knife, to learn more about her story.

More about Sabrina:

Licking the Knife: A memoir, available at B&N and Amazon

BEASTS: A story of a girl in a beastly world (illustrated children's book), available at B&N and Amazon

www.sabrinacapper.com 


...

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August 1, 2025 32 secs

I'll tell you why. Oh, and would love it if you would take an anonymous audience survey for potential advertisers. We did some a while back but they need a new one. You can take it at Gum.Fm/mental. It would really help!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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July 25, 2025 111 mins

Joe Smarro is a Marine Corps combat veteran who trains first responders on how to properly manage and de-escalate mental health crises. He talks about the path that led him to this work, why the current system is so broken–for both civilians and first responders–and what can be done to fix it.


For more about Joe:

www.JoeSmarro.com

www.Instagram.com/JoeSmarro


If you’re interested in seeing or buying the furniture that P...

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Vanessa Blackstone is a therapist specializing in chronic pain and the Executive Director of the Pain Psychology Center. She outlines the success she’s found in the Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) modality. She also shares her personal journey to this work, growing up in foster care and learning to manage her chronic pain. Look for her book, The Pain Reprocessing Therapy Workbook.

More about Vanessa:

Instagram: @that.therapi...

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July 11, 2025 93 mins

Kayla Hurt is a professional organizer who aims to work with deep empathy and a soft approach. She opens up about her journey to decluttering, including her struggles with ADHD, OCD, and her mother’s mental health issues.


More about Kayla:

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@organizingwithkayla?_t=ZP-8vSNa0TsBcV&_r=1


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/organizingwithkayla?igsh=MThlYmNrZzVlNHd2MA==


Website: ww...

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Listener (and MIHH Zoom hangout member) Stevie G opens up about her repressed childhood trauma memories and needing outpatient psychiatric care, learning new coping skills and walking thru the grief of the passing of her best friend and most recently, her sister.


If you’re interested in seeing or buying the furniture that Paul designs and makes follow his IG for his woodworking which is transitioning from @MIHHfurniture...

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Andrea Jones-Rooy is a data scientist, speaker, and stand-up comedian. They join Paul to share their struggles with anorexia and OCD, and how they have managed them over the years.  


For more about Andrea:

Behind the Data (podcast): https://shows.acast.com/behind-the-data

Her site: https://www.jonesrooy.com/


If you’re interested in seeing or buying the furniture that Paul designs and makes follow hi...

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Author and speaker Jessica Slice joins the pod to share her parenting story as a disabled mother. She discusses misconceptions about disability and parenting, and how so many parents are underestimated. Look for her book Unfit Parent: A Disabled Mother Challenges an Inaccessible World


Purchase Jessica’s book Unfit Parent here https://www.amazon.com/dp/0807013242#detailBullets_feature_div


If you’re interested in seein...

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