Tracy Green was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, or DID. It’s a condition where there are two or more personality states within the same person. DID used to be known as multiple personality disorder, and while the condition is often depicted in movies and TV shows, the reality is very different from Hollywood’s portrayal. Tracy talks with NAMI’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ken Duckworth, about living with DID, meeting resistance from family and church, and ultimately finding a path to recovery. 

This conversation was part of Dr. Duckworth’s research for the book, You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health--With Advice from Experts and Wisdom from Real People and Families. Hear more episodes of this and other podcasts and nami.org/podcast.

Dr. Mary Ellen Copeland is the founder of Wellness Recovery Action Plan, a widely respected and widely employed approach to mental health care and maintenance. According to the website for the Copeland Center, “WRAP is a personalized wellness and recovery system born out of and rooted in the principle of self-determination. WRAP is a wellness and recovery approach that helps people to: 1) decrease and prevent intrusive or troubling feelings and behaviors; 2) increase personal empowerment; 3) improve quality of life; and 4) achieve their own life goals and dreams.” 

This conversation was part of Dr. Duckworth’s research for the book, You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health--With Advice from Experts and Wisdom from Real People and Families. Hear more episodes of this and other podcasts and nami.org/podcast.

Tera Carter was 39 years old when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She talks about that revelation and the reception it received in her community and family with NAMI’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ken Duckworth. They also discuss the work she’s doing now as a certified peer specialist on a mobile crisis team.

This conversation was part of Dr. Duckworth’s research for the book, You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health--With Advice from Experts and Wisdom from Real People and Families. Hear more episodes of this and other podcasts and nami.org/podcast.

When NAMI’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ken Duckworth, talked with Eric Smith, Eric was finishing up a master’s degree in social work and looking forward to a bright future. It hasn’t always been that way. From an early age, Eric heard voices and had symptoms consistent with bipolar disorder. He turned to marijuana for relief and then moved on to more powerful substances. After that came jail time, worsening mental health, psychiatric hospitalization and, ultimately, recovery. He also dealt with anosognosia, a condition where a person is unaware of their psychiatric condition or mental health issue. Eric shares his powerful and moving story.

This conversation was part of Dr. Duckworth’s research for the book, You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health--With Advice from Experts and Wisdom from Real People and Families. Hear more episodes of this and other podcasts and nami.org/podcast.

Pooja Mehta has dealt with severe panic attacks and, when she was younger, voices in her head that were intensely negative. It was scary, but her parents were supportive and got her help. The reception in her cultural community was a little more complicated and difficult. She tells Dr. Ken Duckworth, NAMI’s Chief Medical Officer, about those situations, as well as her experience starting a NAMI chapter at her university, which quickly became the largest student organization on campus. Pooja also discusses the unexpected death by suicide of her brother.

This conversation was part of Dr. Duckworth’s research for the book, You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health--With Advice from Experts and Wisdom from Real People and Families. Hear more episodes of this and other podcasts and nami.org/podcast.

James Ramirez has served on the steering committee of NAMI's Southern Oregon affiliate and as one of NAMI's national trainers. He tells NAMI Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ken Duckworth about starting out as a student in classes like Family-to-Family in an effort to help his son, and how he learned methods and techniques that made a huge, positive difference.

This conversation was part of Dr. Duckworth’s research for the book, You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health--With Advice from Experts and Wisdom from Real People and Families. Hear more episodes of this and other podcasts and nami.org/podcast.

Sascha Biesi is the co-owner of Skull & Cakebones, a vegan bakery operating in the Austin, Texas, area. She spoke with NAMI Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ken Duckworth about opening her shop to a project called Depressed Cake Shop, which raises awareness of mental illness and raises funds for mental health causes. We also hear how Sascha underwent electro-convulsive therapy as part of her long journey from suicidal depression to improved health.

This conversation was part of Dr. Duckworth’s research for the book, You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health--With Advice from Experts and Wisdom from Real People and Families. Hear more episodes of this and other podcasts and nami.org/podcast.

Stephen Smith is the founder of NOCD, a company that exists to bring support and treatment to people dealing with obsessive-compulsive disorder, commonly known as OCD. He talked with NAMI Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ken Duckworth about developing the disorder, struggling with it for many years, finally finding an effective way to treat it, and then starting a business to help other people going through the same struggle.

This conversation was part of Dr. Duckworth’s research for the book, You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health--With Advice from Experts and Wisdom from Real People and Families. Hear more episodes of this and other podcasts and nami.org/podcast.

Josh Santana is a musician and music instructor in the Boston area. He spoke to NAMI Chief Medical Officer Ken Duckworth about his experiences growing up as an exceptionally bright student but also a kid who dealt with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and bipolar disorder. He talks about his journey to better mental health, how his dog helped him immeasurably and his work with the ME2 Orchestra, a musical organization for people dealing with mental illness and the people who love them.

This conversation was part of Dr. Duckworth’s research for the book, You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health--With Advice from Experts and Wisdom from Real People and Families. Hear more episodes of this and other podcasts and nami.org/podcast.

Diana Chao is the founder of Letters to Strangers, a mental health support group she started in high school that has grown quickly and significantly to have chapters on six continents. She tells NAMI Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ken Duckworth about her family’s journey from China to Claremont, Calif., and her experiences with bipolar disorder, complex PTSD and depression.

This conversation was part of Dr. Duckworth’s research for the book, You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health--With Advice from Experts and Wisdom from Real People and Families. Hear more episodes of this and other podcasts and nami.org/podcast.