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

What happened to the episode??

Just went back to the home page, and it's missing -- replaced with another interview. WTF??

Just finished listening to this and can understand why its been taken down. I was compelled to comment, but after reading what others have posted, I think I can bypass the critique and just make a listening suggestion for anybody who needs to get their borderline podcast fix on. I recommend an interview with Merri Lisa Johnson, author of the book "Girl in Need of a Tourniquet: Memoir of a Borderline Personality" from the show BTR: The Psyche Whisperer with A.J. Maharji. Both the interviewer and interviewee suffer from borderline personality and if you can overcome the AM radio audio quality, two and a half hour length, and most of all the absence of Paul, you'll find it both engaging and informative. Only place I can find it is on iTunes.

I totally get how sometimes things can be bad enough to warrant removal, but is there any chance this episode can be reposted with disclaimers or something? Because I missed it, and this thread has made me morbidly curious.

I appreciate the feedback. For the record, I took the episode down mostly because of some emails I got from licensed psychologists who found her language choices fuzzy and open to misinterpretation, and a couple of statements that were too broad or sweeping. I think BPD is too serious and complex of an issue to take that kind of a chance.

I did come away from it knowing much more about BPD than I did before, and she was also kind enough to stand in for me at the Podcast Awards and accept one on my behalf (she lives in Las Vegas and I couldn't make it and don't know anyone who lives there), so I felt really bad about having to take it down. And I personally feel she has a very compassionate attitude towards those with BPD.

But I am glad that you guys care enough about the podcast to speak up even when it is something I might not want to hear.

Big Hug,

Paul

Thank you for the explanation.

I'd reiterate the point I made earlier that it was the first time, in a hell of a lot of reading and study, where somebody actually had something good to say about people with BPD. Which, frankly, was helpful.

I hope you'll dedicate resources to the topic again in the near future.

Correction, Paul. You (unnecessarily) deleted the podcast because you decided that the interview was "too controversial". According to whom--your email buddies? And while you criticize Peterson for her "treating ppl with BPD like 5-year-olds", by removing the podcast you treated us exactly the same way. "Papa Paul" knows best, huh?

In case you are still unaware of it, BPD is a very controversial subject no matter who is discussing it. To blame that on Peterson is utterly unfair.

We are perfectly capable of listening to a podcast and reaching our own conclusions. If you don't like Peterson treating us like children (of which I have seen no proof), then stop doing it yourself.

My main problem with this ep is not having any sense of the differance between a sufferer of BPD and a controlling asshole by the end.

I was diagnosed with BPD at 20 and have since changed from a "low-functioning" to "high-functioning" sufferer who does not self-harm yet exhibits a lot of BPD traits mentioned in the episode. My BPD story is very common (I have friends who have "recovered" from BPD, i.e., they don't have any of the symptoms they had in their 20s) - people do get significantly better, particularly those with personality disorders. NONE of this was conveyed in the episode. The "life coach/researcher" seemed qualified to answer questions on general BPD-related things yet failed to communicate the complicated, deeply contradictory, nuances of a personality disorder, that quality of deep empathy with the sufferer that is a trademark of all the other episode and a reason to why I come back to the podcast. I was so looking forward to hearing about people talking about BPD but did not learn anything new, and did not feel comforted after listening as I usually do after every episode. What a shame! I hope there will be a new episode on personality disorders and BPD in particularly, as it is the most common one.

Hey, Bella, what are you talking about? When did Paul make the comment you described? And he explained that the concerns came from professionals in the field, not just "email buddies". Why are you lashing out like that?

Herself?! (Somehow that strikes me as a bit narcissistic, but whatever...) I find it fascinating that you accuse me of "lashing out", yet apparently you're perfectly comfortable with another poster referring to ppl with BPD as (and I quote) "controlling assholes". If that kind of remark isn't flat-out insulting (also lashing-out) I can't imagine what is.

What's wrong--did I step on some sensitive toes by asking some perfectly legitimate questions of your hero?