BROKEN: Mental Health & Non-Visible Illnesses

Welcome to the podcast. My name is Austen & I’m a recovering alcoholic. I'm not a doctor, I'm an addiction counsellor & behavioural therapist, 4 years sober, suffering from long term depression, anxiety, Graves disease, hyperthyroidism, sciatica, vasovagal syncope, migraines, chronic fatigue, OCD, & PTSD. If you do have any of these conditions or a health concern that’s not on here, feel free to call in & we can talk about it. You could give insight to other’s suffering or even gain some new knowledge or advice yourself. We’ll cover depression, anxiety, suicide, self-harm, & hidden illness.

This podcast is about hidden disabilities, mental health, addiction, suicide, & more. I’ll be talking to people who have suffered & are still suffering live. Welcome to the podcast. My name is Austen & I’m a recovering alcoholic. I'm not a doctor, I'm an addiction counsellor & behavioural therapist, 4 years sober, suffering from long term depression, anxiety, Graves disease, hyperthyroidism, sciatica, vasovagal syncope, migraines, chronic fatigue, OCD & PTSD. I’m currently in therapy myself to try to deal with my PTSD, depression & anxiety. Quick note: I say I am an alcoholic & not I was an alcoholic or used to be - an addict of any kind, alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, whatever it is, will always be an addict. We are addicts who abstain from our compulsions, but will always have the "disease". There is shame & guilt, but admitting it & bringing out into the open is the only way to heal - and yes, addiction is a disability. During my research I found over 500 "accepted" hidden disabilities. Different countries have different standards & what is accepted as a disability in one country will not be accepted in another. I compiled a list of hidden disabilities, which I was shocked to see just how many came up - some of which I’ve never even heard of. It’s scary that when we see a stranger, a fellow human being, they could have any of these things that make their daily lives hard, if not impossible, & even shorten their lives. It could be any of the conditions on the list or a combination of two or many more. I myself have a few hidden disabilities, as does my daughter, who suffers from Fibromyalgia & a few other ailments. So this list is just a small portion of the "known" conditions. If you have a condition that is not on this list, it is probably on the full list. Here's just a few: Addiction, ADHD, Allergies, Asthma, Auditory/Hearing, Autism Spectrum Disorders: Asperger Syndrome, Autoimmune Disorders, Brain injuries, Cancer, so many types of cancer, Cardiac/Heart conditions, Vasovagal Syncope, Chronic fatigue syndrome/ME/Motor Neurone Disease, Chronic pain, Circadian rhythm sleep disorders, Coeliac Disease, Crohn's disease, Dementia/Alzheimer’s, Diabetes, Endometriosis, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Fowler's Syndrome, Immunodeficiency, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Lupus, Lyme Disease, Migraines, Multiple Sclerosis, Narcolepsy, Peripheral Neuropathy, Psychiatric/Psycological disabilities: Personality disorders, Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, Rheumatoid arthritis, Spinal Disorders: Arachnoiditis, other back problems like Sciatica, Thyroid/Graves, Tinnitus, Vertigo, Visual/Eyes There are so many more to talk about. If you do have any of these conditions or a health concern that’s not on here, feel free to call in & we can talk about it. You could give insight to other’s suffering or even gain some new knowledge or advice yourself. Too many people, mostly men, are too proud or scared to admit they have a problem & may need help. Counselling & therapy are taboo & other people’s problems. People often confuse counselling & therapy: generally speaking, counselling is short term & therapy is long term & can be ongoing for years, even a lifetime. Put simply; counselling is usually focused on a specific issue for a limited amount of time while therapy helps you understand yourself & your patterns of thought, feelings, & behaviours. Let's talk about it. Text BROKEN to: +447849201175 or email: [email protected]