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ReThreading Madness with host, Bernadine Fox, challenges the status quo when it comes to mental health. We flip the standards by giving the mental health consumer voice and agency around...
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ReThreading Madness with host, Bernadine Fox, challenges the status quo when it comes to mental health. We flip the standards by giving the mental health consumer voice and agency around what is true for them and their lived experience. Basically, we are actively rethreading the truths around our mad, mad worlds.
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ReThreading Madness
ReThreading Madness
Door knobber Diagnosis: Misdiagnosed Borderline Personality
22 JUL 2024 · Door knobber Diagnosis: Misdiagnosed Borderline Personality
When a client drops a therapeutic bombshell as they are leaving a session, counselors call this a “door knobber”. Lynn came to talk with Bernadine about her experience with the Borderline Personality and the door knobber that her therapist laid on her at the tail end of a phone conversation to terminate therapy. Just before she hung up, Lynn was shocked to hear the therapist say she should consider getting a therapist who works with borderline personality. After working together for 2-years where this was never mentioned, it was a casual, quick comment at the end of therapy. This is a door knobber done by the therapist.
My ex-therapist told me at one point that she didn’t believe borderline existed and that therapists only give it to the clients they don’t like. And certainly, in therapy abuse it has become cliche. One after another, survivors are describing being labelled borderline after confronting an abusive therapist. Why would therapists employ borderline so often? Because one of the things people believe about those who are borderline is that they lie and make up things: ergo, victims won’t be believed that the abusive therapist did harm or sexual assault them.
And once you have that label it is a sticky thing – even if it is wrong. Worse, professionals make assumptions about folks with that label – even when it is a misdiagnosis. Like Lynn’s experience, people have described being told they are borderline after the first 15- to 20-minute session. Given the level of stigma that is attached to diagnoses like this, applying them should be done with the utmost care. In fact, according to the DSM, a BPD diagnosis must be based on assessing the functioning and behaviour of the patient over a length of time AND after other diagnoses have been ruled out. What they mandate for this diagnosis is a “thorough evaluation” that provides a “comprehensive assessment” which “considers multiple sources of information, including personal history, collateral information, and a mental status examination.” Clearly this is not possible in an initial 20-min session or during a first consultation. But nonetheless, we hear of it over and over where this diagnosis is being applied all too quickly. And those who have been misdiagnosed with BPD, in particular, suffer even more from the stigma the medical and mental health community. We all need to be more careful about our professional work and our attitudes.
Lynn wrote an article on this issue. It is on Medium.com and entitled https://medium.com/@justlynn2021/dear-therapists-this-is-what-bpd-stigma-looks-like-575d16128fb7
Dispelling Myths about BC Mental Health Ace with Rob Wipond
15 JUL 2024 · Dispelling Myths about the BC Mental Health Act with Rob Wipond
It is so very often that we hear misinformation about the BC Mental Health Act. It is so widely held and believed in some of our BC communities, that if you check yourself into a psych ward voluntarily you can leave when you want and you can refused any treatment that you feel won’t work. Rob Wipond, author of Your Consent is Not Required: The Rise in Psychiatric Detentions, Forced Treatment, and Abusive Guardianships joins Bernadine Fox to discuss the BC Mental Health Act and how what we have been led to believe or told is true and what actually plays out in the psych ward are not the same. Voluntary can become involuntary just because you refuse the treatment they tell you to take. And once you are committed, here in BC, you essentially lose all human rights to advocate for your own welfare. And while you can appeal a commitment, you can be forced to take treatments for the 3 weeks it takes to actually have that hearing. And, by then whatever you were forced to take may in fact leave you unable to fully comprehend what is occurring in that hearing leaving the judge to perceive you as incompetent. After finding a pamphlet that repeated the myths to a vulnerable population, it was important to dispel these myths most likely being produced in other places across the province by well-meaning individuals. In comparison to the rest of Canada and many places in the world, BC has what many consider to be the harshest mental health system: one that eliminates the human rights of the patient. If not living in BC, we suggest that If you are someone who accesses or relies on the mental health system, it is advisable to research what is true about your mental health system when it comes to commitments (voluntary or involuntary), forced treatments, and the appeal processes so that you can better advocate for yourself or your loved ones where you live.
Mad Pride Cabaret Vancouver 2024
11 JUL 2024 · Mad Pride Cabaret Vancouver 2024
Have you ever stepped into a room and had a bunch of mad people celebrating the chance to freely be who they are? Well that is what Mad Pride is. In 2024, Vancouver celebrated Mad Pride through the Connection Salon at the Gathering Place downtown. And this program not only talks with three of the performers at Mad Pride it showcases their work. Kagan Goh, curator and artist, brings us his spoken work, Nothing is Forged without Fire. Sandra Yuen, artisit, and David Xhediku, musician, form the band Beautiful Lizards talk about what they see Mad Pride as and then share a piece of their rock/surf music, Psychopath. And last but not least, iveno, who is a multi-media artist, counselor, and theARTist chats with us about his work in the community and then shares his piece of music, Wala20, and what he calls sound bathing.
Other music by Shari Ulrich, Henry Moodie, and Fearless Soul
Randy Tait on Recovery and Ceremony
5 JUL 2024 · Randy Tait on Recovery and Ceremony
If you had gone to the 33rd Annual Women’s March it would have been hard for you to miss Randy Tait in his red jacket with matching red John Fluevog shoes. He circled the crowd bestowing eagle down on the heads of elders, guardians, and organizers. Randy is from the Nisga’a / Gitksan Nation. He has made Vancouver his home with few interruptions for many decades. He talks with us about his childhood, his addiction to alcohol, how his family and community stepped in and helped get him into recovery and how he hasn’t really looked back. He uses his recovery to help those who are continuing to struggle.
Music by Shari Ulrich
When it is a Therapist who Experiences Therapy Abuse and Exploitation
23 JUN 2024 · When it is a Therapist who Experiences Therapy Abuse and Exploitation
She came on RTM to talk about her own experience of therapy abuse and exploitation at the hands of her psychologist. But she is unable yet to do so using her name. Why? Because she is also a psychologist who fears retribution for speaking out. She chats with Bernadine about her experience of therapy abuse, how her husband sought retribution for the 'affair', how she was treated by the tribunal that processed the complaint against her abuser, and how they put her and her child's safety with their actions.
In the penalty imposed on her psychologist the board stated " Dr. X, you are here today in front of this panel of the (redacted) Discipline Committee to be reprimanded on your conduct as a Psychologist with respect to the allegations to which you have pleaded guilty today. We trust that you understand the severity of your behaviours. You failed to maintain the standards of the profession and engaged in a romantic and sexual relationship with a former client. Dr. X, we hope that you understand the impact that your behaviour has had on the trust and respect placed in our profession by members of the public. In working with a vulnerable person who had not had time to separate from the therapeutic relationship, your actions crossed the boundary between the personal and professional. Your behaviour was disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional." He lost his license to practice for 12 months, had to take two ethics programs and write essays to prove that he understood what he did was wrong, and pay a penalty.
After the interview, the woman said that "I think the findings would have looked different had I been more capable of seeing what he did to me. Instead I was in full self-blame mode and didn’t want to ruin his life. I defended him and told the (redacted) I was in love with him and we had a relationship. I tried to claim that as I psychologist I knew what I was doing…I did not. I was unaware at that time of all the havoc his actions created and continued to create in my life. Very sad."
music by Shari Ulrich
Decolonizing mental health: What is it?
11 JUN 2024 · Decolonizing mental health: What is it?
Norman Leech, is currently the Executive Director for the Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House, and was the Executive Director for Vancouver Aboriginal Community Policing Centre from 2016-2023. He still works to change the fact that Indigenous people are “over-represented in most negative social health indicators, whether homelessness, incarceration, crime victims, children-in-care, poverty, missing, murdered, income, suicide, life expectancy, and on and on.” (Conference Board of Canada)
Norman is from the T’it’q’et community of the St’at’imc nation but was born and raised in East Vancouver. “He draws on his experiences as a recovering alcoholic/ addict, computer nerd, inter-generational survivor, and spiritual explorer to inform his current work.” (Conference Board of Canada).
Norman chats with Bernadine about what it is and why it is important today to look at mental health from a decolonized perspective. He also delves into its origins, who can benefit from it, and where you can find it.
Music by Shari Ulrich
Retiring Well with Jake
4 JUN 2024 · Retirement with Jake
Jake is 64 years old. He is retiring in one month. As he is reaching what is what some called the golden age, his life blows up. He is evicted from an affordable residences so that his landlord’s parents can move in. He is in the middle of moving from a disability pension to a regular pension and is not really sure what his income will be. He is drowning in paperwork and he learns that one of his daughters is about to get married and give birth to his first grandchild. Consequently, on top of everything, he must move. Because of the absorbent rents in Vancouver BC he chooses to move to be closer to his daughter in Ontario. Jake’s whole life is about to change. He talks with us about what that looks like and how it is impacting on him.
It’s Alright, Shari Ulrich,
These Lines, Shari Ulrich,
Something to Live For, Barney Bentall,
I Gotta Go , Bary Bentall,
Jason Fareas on Addiction and Recovery
31 MAY 2024 · Jason Fareas on Addiction and Recovery
From his https://eight19product.com/, Jason describes himself as having an unstable childhood although he is very clear that he was a loved child by the adults in his life. He talks about the development of his addiction and then his involvement in the drug trade. On his podcast, he shares his "journey from addiction to recovery".
Jason has his own podcast, https://eight19product.com/, where he provides a "weekly autobiography of a young man from Northern California’s Central Valley, and a look back on his participation and influence over the 1990s methamphetamine epidemic. He sorts through decades of descent into addiction and mental illness and how self-realization, acceptance, and unconditional love eventually saw him to recovery."
Bernadine and Jason engage in an intimate discussion about where he came from to where he is now. Just a quick look at his photo will tell you just how heartwarming was this discussion. Join us.
Music by Shari Ulrich
Forced Commitals with Barbara Phillips
21 MAY 2024 · Forced Committals with Barbara Phillips
Barbara has had several forced commitals and a long history of taking psychiatric meds. She opens up with Bernadine about those commitals what worked, what didn't, what left lasting scars and physical impairments.
The Correlation between Weight and Child Sexual Abuse with Patty Cabot
6 FEB 2024 · The Correlation between Weight and Child Sexual Abuse with Patty Cabot
Patty Cabot joins us to talk about her experience of weight loss via coming to terms with the sexual abuse in her childhood. She is the author of "Not That Girl".
Music by DG Adams, Robbie Robertson, Meaghan Trainer, and Shari Ulrich
ReThreading Madness with host, Bernadine Fox, challenges the status quo when it comes to mental health. We flip the standards by giving the mental health consumer voice and agency around...
show more
ReThreading Madness with host, Bernadine Fox, challenges the status quo when it comes to mental health. We flip the standards by giving the mental health consumer voice and agency around what is true for them and their lived experience. Basically, we are actively rethreading the truths around our mad, mad worlds.
show less
Information
Author | ReThreading Madness Radio |
Organization | ReThreadingMadness |
Categories | Mental Health |
Website | www.rethreadingmadness.ca |
rethreadingmadness@coopradio.org |
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