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

The 59 year-old comic/writer shares about being a Scientologist, her eating disorder, drug addiction, surviving incest (by her father) and her beautiful but suicidal mother’s loose grasp on reality.

Check out Andrea’s website http://www.andreaabbate.com

Follow Andrea on Twitter @TheAndreaAbbate

Check out some of her videos on Funny or Die.

- See more at: http://mentalpod.com/Andrea-Abbate-podc ... x5Cyp.dpuf

Wow. Just when I thought my jaw couldn't drop any lower, it just kept getting more and more awfulsome. This was the best episode I've heard in a long time, and I almost didn't listen to it at all, because Scientology. Andrea's story would make an amazing memoir novel or movie. Loved it! Thanks, Paul!

Andrea's determination to make a good life for herself is admirable. Frankly, if she's found that good life and community in Scientology, none of us is in a place to judge her choice of belief.

I did want to comment on one thing: Andrea's mom did not die of "natural causes." She died of cirrhosis/liver failure, no doubt due to her alcoholism. She may not have actively killed herself as she'd talked about doing for years, but it certainly was a suicide on the installment plan as some of us say.

This is has to be the best episode of MIHH of 2015, or at least a contender.

Why? Because it was so challenging to listen to.
I tend to think and feel in black and white, and Andrea's story wouldn't allow me to settle comfortably in one side or the other.

The scientology thing was uncomfortable. I've seen how scientologists like to invalidate the painful experiences of ex-scientologists. Andrea kind of gave off that denier vibe as nicely as impossible.

I thought she kind of fetized black people. I feel uncomfortable about who LOVES black people and HATES white people. Black people are not a monolith. Pearl was an individual and yes, through her Andrea might have seen some pf the struggles unique to black people, it doesn't mean that black people are these magical, infallible fairy godrace. It's kind of patronizing, to be honesr. You is smart, you is kind you is special. Good for you.

Still -- though I am a part of several minorities, I identify with the 'mental illness' struggle more than anything. I respect Paul so much because I get the sense that he was being challenged (in an ego way), but Andrea's story managed to penetrate that. I am so sorry that she has gone through all those things, and if she manages to find peace in scientology in spite of everything she's gone through and still laughs at everything, then no-one, including me, has the right to get on their high horse and tell her how she should be. This podcast was such a challenge for me and I'll be thinking about it for a very long time.

I had lot of problem with the believability of this person. It's pretty common knowledge that Scientology messes with the mind of its followers, and a lot of what she said seemed to have been implanted information. If it isn't a cult, why is everyone she's willing to help obligated to take Scientology classes? That's not genuine concern and caring for others.
I resented her being told not to make detailed commentary about animal abuse and she just happily forged ahead. I don't believe that any of that happened, and if it did, what possible reason would the rest of us need to know about it? So she could look like a victim? If her brother went along with it, well then he's a disgusting monster,too. Yet she thinks he's a wonderful person.
Her mother was not "suicidal", she was attention seeking. She had a narcissistic personality disorder. The whole thing was obnoxious. Trying to paint her mother as this fantastic person, when she was really just sad and desperate for attention. Her mother was not suicidal, she was the worst kind of drama queen.

This episode was really weird. In some respects fascinating to listen to - I listened to the whole thing - and in other respects unnerving. How much of what she described is actual experience, and how much is made up? The animal abuse thing that she kept talking about after Paul asked her to stop didn't ring true, and the fact that she needed to impart this disturbing information I found a bit creepy.

Also I really don't think her I LOVE BLACK PEOPLE stance is healthy or okay. Treating an entire sector of the population like mythical fairies with magical powers was bizarre at best, and racially fetishizing at worst. What gives a rich white lady the right to act as if she's putting her stamp of approval on black people? Again: really weird.

But, as I said, fascinating. And I laughed out loud when she described her mother saying "Don't ever marry a man who rapes his daughter, you have no idea what it's done to me." Solid gold awfulsome.

Definitely agree on no_u with this one, she definitely unnerved me quite a bit and so much of the stuff she said was just odd. The weird fetishization of black people was really not okay to me. But the stuff about her mom was so interesting, awfulsome, and sometimes funny. I've told my husband and a couple friends about "Aunt Caroline" and they were all freaked out. Her story could be a movie, but I think part of that is because so much of it sounded fantastical and unreal.