mental health

Episode 23 – Indiana DMHA Director, Kevin Moore

April 5, 2019 Eric Riddle Podcast Episodes, Season 2 48:37 Comments Off on Episode 23 – Indiana DMHA Director, Kevin Moore

Kevin Moore is the Director of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA). He was appointed Director on January 1, 2012, and leads the public mental health and addiction treatment system.

He was appointed after serving as Assistant Director for DMHA for 2 years, directly supervising the operations at each of the state psychiatric hospitals as they integrated the values and goals of the recovery model.

Kevin worked 24 years with the Department of Correction in a variety of direct service and administrative positions.

Topics include:

How has his job changed since the opioid epidemic became a national problem?

How does he balance his twin responsibilities of supporting mental health and addiction treatment?

Is addiction a mental illness?

How do you bridge the divide between church and state in encouraging support from the faith community?

What does healing mean to you?

Next Episode:

Dawn Adams from Food 4 Souls ministry in Indianapolis, IN

Episode 22 – Into the Wilderness with Amie Carey

March 7, 2019 Eric Riddle Podcast Episodes, Season 2 53:33 Comments Off on Episode 22 – Into the Wilderness with Amie Carey

Welcome to Season 2 of Revealing Voices!

Amie Carey is a mother of 3 from NYC who is passionate about changing the conversation around child and adolescent mental health.  She has been an advocate for families in crisis for about 5 years. Amie wrote a blog about her family’s experience which then morphed into a podcast called “A Girl I Know” to share her story with a broader audience. 

Her oldest daughter, Violet, has struggled with behavioral challenges from a very young age.  It has changed her perspective on children, mental health, and stigma.

The decision for Violet to participate in wilderness therapy and the impact it has had on the family is the focus of the episode.

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Topics include:

Describe the experience of wilderness therapy for adolescents.

How did family and friends respond to decision for Violet to participate in this form of therapy?

What changes has Amie witnessed in Violet after her wilderness experience?

Why did Amie decide to start a podcast?

How was the decision made with Violet to share the family’s story publically?

What does healing mean to you?

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Shownotes:

NATSAP – National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs

Second Nature Wilderness Family Therapy

“The Journey of the Heroic Parent” book by Brady M. Reedy. One of Amie’s favorite books on parenting.

“On Writing: A Memoir on the Craft” by Stephen King. Mentioned as an excellent book about creativity

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Next Episode: Kevin Moore, Director of State of Indiana’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA)

Episode 21 – Season 1 Finale!

December 6, 2018 Eric Riddle Podcast Episodes, Season 1 37:28 Comments Off on Episode 21 – Season 1 Finale!

Highlights from guest interviews and whimsical outtakes from the year bookend this episode.  Tony and Eric share their highs and lows from the season, as wells as hopes for the future of the podcast.

We thank all of our listeners for your support over the course of 2018.  Look for season 2 to start in March 2019.

As we have asked each of our guests, we also encourage you to consider, “What does healing mean to you?”

The Stability Network Experience

October 30, 2018 Eric Riddle Behind the Scenes Comments Off on The Stability Network Experience

By a matter of serendipity in early 2017, I was invited to join The Stability Network.  

The previous year, as a contract employee at Cummins Engine Company, I had put together a business case for creating a Mental Health Affinity Group.  The company already had other Affinity Groups that were focused on African American employees, Newcomers, LGBTQ employees, etc.

The intention was to create a safe place for those who identify with having a mental health diagnosis to share coping skills and their aspirations for success while effectively managing their mental health struggles. Unfortunately, my contract with Cummins ended and my main “corporate champion” for the cause was transferred to India.  

Through this process, I met Donna Hardaker.  When I was asked to create a business case for the value of the Affinity Group, Donna helped me find the statistics and other organizations already doing this kind of work. Donna is extraordinarily knowledgeable about the mental healthcare system. I was intrigued by her unique sense of the masked stigma and unique challenges that people with mental health diagnoses face in their career development.

After it was clear that the Affinity Group development had stalled, Donna surprisingly invited me to join The Stability Network. I was honored by the invitation and gladly accepted.

This past weekend, I attended The Stability Network’s national meeting in San Francisco. It was a follow up to last year’s regional meeting in New York City.  The energy at the meeting and the natural bonds between all the members was a great atmosphere to be around.

Over the past 2 years, my involvement has helped me gain deeper relationships with other mental health advocates, helped me craft my own advocacy storytelling techniques, and inspired me to start the Revealing Voices podcast. The Stability Network inspires and encourages people experiencing mental health challenges to thrive. I am fully committed to the vision to help people with mental health challenges to thrive in workplaces and communities.

As Tony and I prepare for season 2 of Revealing Voices, we will be highlighting some of the individuals from The Stability Network who boldly share their mental health journey.

During my time in San Francisco, I was blessed to get the chance to ride a bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. The sight of this engineering marvel rising from the fog filled me with gratitude. The trip was rejuvenating and I’m energized by all my fellow advocates across the country.

Having fun with Kim and Diana

Episode 14 – Faithful Friends, Kim and Diana

August 30, 2018 Eric Riddle Podcast Episodes, Season 1 44:41 Comments Off on Episode 14 – Faithful Friends, Kim and Diana

Faithful Friends mental health wellness ministry model is the focus. Kim Graves and Diana Starkey, who lead the weekly ministry with Tony and Eric, help model the typical flow of the group.

Below is the format of the 7:00 – 8:30 PM ministry hosted every Tuesday night at The Living Room in Columbus, IN:

Opening Prayer | Announcements | Foundational Scripture | Introductions | Guidelines | Scripture | Accountability Check | Wellness Topic | Minute of Gratitude | Sharing | Closing Prayer

If you are interested in learning more about this ministry model, please reach out to Eric (eric.r.riddle@gmail.com) or Tony (tonyrobertsdelight@gmail.com)

Faithful Friends has met every Tuesday since starting in November 2014.

 

Episode 8 – Kelcey Rockhold Rocks!

June 7, 2018 Eric Riddle Podcast Episodes, Season 1 44:29 Comments Off on Episode 8 – Kelcey Rockhold Rocks!

On this episode, we interview Kelcey Rockhold. She is an Oregon native, currently living in the Arizona desert with her family. Kelcey works as a freelance editor, and when she isn’t blogging, baking, or laughing at “The Office,” she can usually be found connecting with others in conversation (usually over coffee and pastries.)

We talk with Kelcey about her experience with intensive psychiatric treatment, recovering from an eating disorder, and finding the hope of Christ through faith, family, and freedom from the cultural disorders around body image.
Some of the topics include:

What is the experience like going through different diagnoses in a short period of time?

What was the impact of being keynote speaker at “Shattering Stigma with Stories” Conference in 2014?

How did your pregnancy impact your mental health?

What is intuitive eating and how has nutrition impacted your mental health?

What does healing mean to you?

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Kelcey’s work can be found at Writings from the Raven’s Desk: A Journey of Healing and Hope.

Kelcey is on Instagram: @Awayinthewild

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As always, you can find much more at www.revealingvoices.com.

Episode 7 – Eric Riddle Revealed

May 24, 2018 Eric Riddle Podcast Episodes, Season 1 45:02 Comments Off on Episode 7 – Eric Riddle Revealed

On this episode, Tony interviews co-host, Eric Riddle.  In this interview, Eric and Tony discuss unconditional love, haiku, “bipolar order”, wearing a banana suit, Faithful Friends ministry, and many other topics.

Some of the questions include:

What is peer recovery?

How did you disclose your diagnosis to your children?

What does it mean to have a mood disorder?

Why did you wear a banana suit?

What does healing mean to you?

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As always, you can find much more at www.revealingvoices.com.

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Eric is currently participating in #the100dayproject on Instagram. During the project, he is writing daily haikus that can be found at #hundredhaiku

Author of Watershed: Service in the Wake of Disaster, a book about the 2008 flood in his hometown of Columbus, IN.

Member of The Stability Network: www.thestabilitynetwork.org

LinkedIn Profile link

 

Does Awareness Really Shatter Stigma?

May 19, 2018 Tony Roberts Behind the Scenes Comments Off on Does Awareness Really Shatter Stigma?

Some weeks back, Eric asked me to write a piece for Mental Health Awareness Month (May). I thought I would wait for inspiration. It’s now May 18 and inspiration has not arrived. In the words of Jack London, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” So I sit here banging on the letters of my keyboard, intent on making you aware of mental health.

Recently, many celebrities are touting mental health as they share their personal history with mental illness and/or mental health issues. Action movie star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Singer Mariah Carey. Even Prince Harry. Mental health struggles are shared by the homeless immigrant and the Hollywood idol.

I’ve wondered for some time what happens when mental illness assumes the spotlight. When famous persons talk about their anxiety, their depression, their mania, does it serve to reduce stigma or does it increase the demanding expectations on those with severe mental illness?

If Prince Harry can get through his grief and still smile at royal functions, why can’t you get out of bed and take a shower?

If Kay Redfield Jamison can channel her manic depression to become one of the world’s leading experts on bipolar disorder, why can’t you finish a simple assignment?

The benefit of high achievers opening up about their emotional struggles is that we can be reassured that we are not alone, that we are not any less a human being for having a mental health diagnosis. The danger is that we berate ourselves for not being more like them.

As a writer, I have a plethora of role models who exhibited inordinate disordered behaviors. But I can’t expect I will compose epic tales like Tolstoy, plot like Poe, or poetic verse like Plath. Still, I do find comfort we are following the voice of a related muse.

Mental Health awareness month is not about competing for who has the most debilitating condition or who is conquering it the best. It’s about recognizing that no matter who we are, no matter what we do, we are of one common stock. The more we stand up, the less others have to fall.

Mark Teike profile pic

Episode 6 – Mark Teike, Lutheran Leader

May 10, 2018 Eric Riddle Podcast Episodes, Season 1 45:54 Comments Off on Episode 6 – Mark Teike, Lutheran Leader

Mark Teike has served as senior pastor at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Columbus, IN since 1992. Mark and his wife Debbie, a licensed clinical social worker who is the author of The Art of Invitation, have three grown children and one granddaughter.

Mark and Debbie grew up in Decatur, IL. Recently, Mark has become much more aware of the struggles related to mental illness and is passionate about helping individuals and congregations walk alongside those who live with a mental illness, as well as their families.

Some of the questions include:

Who inspired you to pursue pastoral ministry?

How can the faith community work with local ASAP partners to address the local opioid crisis?

How do you respond to people who spiritualize struggles with mental health?

How can the church reach out to individuals who feel isolated?

What does healing mean to you?

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Click here to learn more about the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress (ASAP) in Bartholomew County

 

 

Bipolar Too

May 1, 2018 Eric Riddle Behind the Scenes Comments Off on Bipolar Too

At age 17, I was given a clinical depression diagnosis. At age 22, it changed to hypomania.  At age 27, it changed to Bipolar II.  Over the course of the last 20 years, I have been hospitalized 4 times. The first time for mania and the last three for depression. For 13 years, I was in talk therapy 1x/month.  My most recent hospitalization was Spring 2013. I currently take one medicine for sleeping and one for mood stabilization.  Those are the facts of my psychiatric care.

Tony did flippantly call me “bipolar lite” on a recent show. The facts above indicate that the level of treatment I have received is substantial.  His statement was meant as a comparison to the reality of his tumultuous cycles to my relatively less turbulent experience since meeting him in 2014. He has never seen me in a period leading to an inpatient stay.

I am thankful that a listener sent us a comment about Tony’s use of the word “lite”.  The listener pointed out that “its not accurate or helpful to think of Bipolar II as begin a less severe bipolar sub-type.”  This is correct.

Tony and I need to be held accountable to our language. Receiving feedback is precisely what we encourage from our listeners as we reveal our voices and our guests on the podcast.

I am currently in the best period of health since being diagnosed with Bipolar II in 2007.  I thank God, my family, my church, my friends, and my community for the support, encouragement, and love they provide on a daily basis.  My relationship with Tony is a part of that stabilization.  He knows that my diagnosis can lead to serious symptoms, but he also knows that sharing the burden together can lighten the load.

We will be releasing an episode on May 24 with Tony interviewing me about my mental health history and ministry.  Knowing my darkness has helped me know the light.  I hope to share this with you through Revealing Voices.