On today’s episode, Trevor recalls a particularly difficult time when outside circumstances forced a good friend to come out to her parents.

Then Lauren Wadsworth, PhD, (12:15), a post-doctoral fellow at McLean, talks with Trevor about nonbinary gender pronouns and why they matter.

Lauren urges folks to become more flexible when thinking about gender and to be OK with making mistakes when trying to use these pronouns properly. She also discusses the importance of incorporating these pronouns into everyday use.

Learn more about Dr. Wadsworth: mclean.link/f6i

Read the episode transcript: mclean.link/hu7

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The McLean Hospital podcast Mindful Things is intended to provide general information and to help listeners learn about mental health, educational opportunities, and research initiatives. This podcast is not an attempt to practice medicine or to provide specific medical advice.

© 2019 McLean Hospital. All Rights Reserved.

Today Trevor talks about his fear of confrontation and how being consumed by unnecessary anger can prevent us from enjoying things and being in the present moment. Then we are joined by Dr. Blaise Aguirre (10:53), medical director of the 3East adolescent DBT programs at McLean.

Blaise and Trevor discuss the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” and its impact on adolescents. From the constant distractions of the world we live in to problems identifying one’s sense of self, Blaise and Trevor discuss possible reasons why some teens may be activated by watching the show while others may not.

Blaise and Trevor also get into the topic of DBT and offer tips for teens watching shows that could potentially be triggering.

RELEVANT CONTENT:
– High-Profile Suicides Could Influence Students, Teens: mclean.link/j0l
– Staff profile – Blaise Aguirre: mclean.link/7fv
– Why Do Teens Cut and What Can Parents Do to Help: mclean.link/oh6
– Why We Should Be Talking About Teen Suicide: mclean.link/uxz

Read the episode transcript: mclean.link/p4q

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The McLean Hospital podcast Mindful Things is intended to provide general information and to help listeners learn about mental health, educational opportunities, and research initiatives. This podcast is not an attempt to practice medicine or to provide specific medical advice.

© 2019 McLean Hospital. All Rights Reserved.

Today Trevor shares an update on his progress over the last few weeks and talks about the discomfort of being open and vulnerable. Then we talk to Amy (13:02), one of the first participants in our Deconstructing Stigma public awareness campaign.

Amy explains how her job as a librarian gave her a sense of control at work when things felt so out of control at home. Amy then talks candidly and emotionally about being married to a man with treatment-resistant depression and the toll that her role as his caregiver took on her and their family.

She also recalls the guilt she felt for worrying about her own well-being while it was her husband who was struggling with mental illness. Although now divorced, Amy and her ex-husband successfully co-parent their teenage son who is also well versed in caring for someone with mental illness.

Read more about Amy’s story: mclean.link/hvs

Read the episode transcript: mclean.link/bax

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The McLean Hospital podcast Mindful Things is intended to provide general information and to help listeners learn about mental health, educational opportunities, and research initiatives. This podcast is not an attempt to practice medicine or to provide specific medical advice.

© 2019 McLean Hospital. All Rights Reserved.

In this week’s episode, Trevor talks openly about how his problems staying mindful and present have led to some significant changes in his medication regimen and recalls a particularly difficult time in his life when a certain med he was taking led to some serious physical issues and an embarrassing emergency room visit.

Then we talk to Jeff Szymanski, executive director of the International OCD Foundation (12:48) as he takes a deep dive into OCD, hoarding, and the underlying anxieties that can lead to these conditions. Jeff also discusses exposure and response prevention therapy and his own struggles with particular anxieties and fears.

RELEVANT CONTENT:
– International OCD Foundation: iocdf.org/
– Hoarding resources: mclean.link/hu1
– “The Perfectionists Handbook” by Jeff Szymanski: mclean.link/7qa

Read the episode transcript: mclean.link/xko

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The McLean Hospital podcast Mindful Things is intended to provide general information and to help listeners learn about mental health, educational opportunities, and research initiatives. This podcast is not an attempt to practice medicine or to provide specific medical advice.

© 2019 McLean Hospital. All Rights Reserved.

To Wayne Torres (8:00), who will celebrate his fifth year of sobriety this November, it always seemed normal to him to use alcohol to celebrate special events, to cope with stress, and just because.

To help manage the difficulty of his job as a lieutenant at a correctional facility, Wayne would drink for 4-5 hours a day. Drinking wasn’t a pleasure for Wayne, it was a necessity. After branding himself ‘a fat drunk who hated life,’ Wayne went through a horrific detox that landed him in a coma. His addiction to alcohol nearly killed him.

Despite unsuccessful attempts at therapy and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Wayne finally received the treatment he needed to overcome his addiction. Now a captain at the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, Wayne spends time helping his fellow officers when they are struggling. From creating a peer support group to driving his coworkers to and from detox centers, Wayne wants everyone who struggles to know they are not alone.

Hear even more about Wayne’s incredible journey and the power of recovery: mclean.link/0m5

Read the episode transcript: mclean.link/8dx

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The McLean Hospital podcast Mindful Things is intended to provide general information and to help listeners learn about mental health, educational opportunities, and research initiatives. This podcast is not an attempt to practice medicine or to provide specific medical advice.

© 2019 McLean Hospital. All Rights Reserved.