YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Hello!

First of all, thank you to all of you for being here. Thank you to Paul for the podcast and to all the guests who open up on it. And to everyone who emails and does the surveys. I love listening and I love what Paul has created.

I have spent 10 years on antidepressants; I currently take Pristiq for depression. I am pretty happy these days and feel mentally stable most days.

I listened to the Katie Yeargain Palacio episode and connected so much with her story. I was married briefly to a bipolar II who I believe was also a Borderline. I was extremely codependent in this relationship, dealing with his moods and his violent explosions of rage. I learned all I could about BP during this time and saw a therapist who helped me out of it. BPDFamily (a forum and website) was so helpful to me during this.

I am dealing with my issues and learning to love myself. I don't want to fall back into my same old patterns of caretaking an unavailable or destructive partner.

Thanks again to all of you. I am so happy to be here.

Welcome radioheart. I can relate to the pain of struggling with your own problems while being entangled with a partner's issues as well. Glad you are here and glad you are healing.

I'm so happy you know how important it is to love yourself. I sang Whitney Houston's "Greatest Love of All" for a talent show in second grade but even now in my 20s I have trouble embracing that message.

The emails and surveys are as much a part of the podcast as the interviews! Hearing other people's struggles and being able to have compassion for them is a good way to remind yourself that you're deserving of that same compassion.

Hi, radioheart!

I'm no stranger to co-dependency! And co-dependency with an unsuitable significant other is twice the fun! I kid. I really feel for you. Although my partner of the time wasn't abusive, I really had no reason to be with her and my friends and family tried to tell me for years. I finally figured it out when she cheated on me. Then I started to see and hear what my friends and family were saying. Ugh. Those moments can be very defining.

I'm glad to hear you are finding peace. We here at the MIHH forum are happy to have you as part of the family. I hope to see you around

Hugs,
serious_oregon