In this short solo episode, Matana outlines the coming episodes dedicated to discussing Borderline Personality Disorder with those affected by it. From being diagnoses to determining the elusive diagnosis, this crippling disorder causes shame, panic and few known treatment options. The stigma is real, but those suffering need not be alone. Join us in upcoming episodes and hear firsthand how those affected are determined to persevere.
The Teen Suicide Prevention Society (Jackie Simmons)
Within the next 24 hours, more than 3,000 teenagers in the United States will attempt to take their own lives. Seventeen of them will succeed. Jackie Simmons’ daughter, Stephanie, shared that statistic when delivering a speech which would change lives and inspire teens to come together with Stephanie’s sisters and to create, “The Teen Suicide Prevention Society.”
Being the Parent of a Child Battling Mental Illness (Avremi Gourarie)
On December 22, 2020, 24 year old Yocheved Gourarie took her own life. Yocheved was a kind and thoughtful person. Loved by all. She was a top student, always maintaining perfect grades in school and at the time of her passing, was in the process of applying to PHD nursing programs. Posthumously, the family learned that she was accepted at Columbia University in their DNP program on track to becoming a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. Unfortunately, her battle with mental illness raged, and she succumbed to it, not having fulfilled her dreams.
Empower Your Mindset (Sari Dana)
Sari Dana tells us her story of how she chose to move away from dieting after a long struggle with binge eating. She chose to give her body unconditional acceptance and love, no matter what happened to her size, which put her in a much healthier place both mentally and physically than she had been before. Her passion to empower everyone involved in working with teens, including the kids themselves, is to retrain their minds to see themselves as a whole person, not just their bodies or any other part, and to love every part unconditionally. Once they have started that work in themselves, they can start to guide others as well.
Talking About Teen Suicide (Laura Messner)
Laura Messner grew up in a typical home until her parents divorced when she was eight years old. After she became aware of how little she got to see her father, she began chasing after perfection in every way she could think of to “earn” his attention… until she developed an eating disorder and eventually attempted suicide. She came to learn self-love and to take responsibility for her own pain and healing journey. As a teenager, she resisted help because she was unwilling to admit that everything inside was not perfect. It wasn’t until her late twenties that she came to understand that her struggles stemmed from the pain she felt from seeing herself as a victim of her father’s abandonment.
Breaking the Stigma on Teen Mental Health – A Teacher Speaks Out (Tammy Ozolins)
Tammy Ozolins is an extraordinary teacher. She returns to tell us of how teachers face an uphill battle in the field, boots on the ground, in the daunting challenge of helping teens who suffer with mental illness. She chooses to highlight the importance of being a friend to a student rather than a disciplinarian. In one instance, this technique resulted in a 6th grade student confiding to her years later, that her support drove him to not only graduate, but to join the marine corps with pride in who he was and what he became.
Resilience Through Recovery (Zahava List)
After having seven episodes of psychosis and Bipolar I over the course of five years, Zahava List finally got through five years without a single episode. During those five years, she started an organization called Chazkeinu, which offers a support group to Jewish women and their families who are dealing with mental illness.
Don’t Let Your Obstacles Slow You Down (Brian Reynolds)
In this episode, we meet Brian Reynolds, a world record-holding runner, who also happens to be a double, below-the-knee, amputee. He shares his lifelong experiences growing up and overcoming. Sadly, Brian was born with a condition that made him very susceptible to illness. At just four years old he came down with meningitis, an infection that’s taken many lives. As a result of his illness, he woke up in the hospital without his legs. However, Brian isn’t the type of person to dwell on that and the sadness that could rightfully overtake and debilitate a person. To the contrary, he assures and inspires us how he is lucky that this is all he lost.
Losing a Son to Suicide and Choosing Hope After Grief (Anne Moss)
This week we are revisiting an old episode from last year because I find this interview to be so powerful that I wanted to bring it back to all of you. I had the special honor of connecting with Anne Moss, a mother, author, and founder of Emotionally Naked, a blog dedicated to her late son Charles Aubrey Rogers, who lost his life to suicide.
Don’t Fear Talking About Suicide, Break the Stigma (Marni Ratner)
Marni Ratner lost her husband to suicide in 2009 and suddenly became the breadwinner for her two children ages 3 and 7 at the time. Through early grief counseling and a large network of extended family and friends, her kids are now thriving young adult with her oldest recently going off to college. Eleven years after her husband’s death, Marni finds strength in mentoring new widows and is also a strong proponent of suicide prevention.