Unhinged: Discussing Mental Health

After nearly 5 months, Unhinged is back! We took an extended hiatus due to various reasons, the most important being Doug’s terrible relapse. Over these past few months, Doug has been suffering greatly, but now there seems to be a spark of relief as his DBS starts working again. This all started after his surgery […] The post Unhinged Episode #042: Welcome Back appeared first on Unhinged.

Originally, this episode was going to be focused on music and how specific songs affect our moods and emotions. Unfortunately, the battery in Doug’s DBS is running down and this has affected his mood. Since we want to give this music topic the attention and justice it deserves, we decided to postpone that topic until […] The post Unhinged Episode #041: Juicy Juice appeared first on Unhinged.

This is our 40th episode, and to celebrate this milestone, we’ve compiled the best clips from our first 40 shows, starting with our very first show in March of 2016, all the way to right now. Hear about Doug’s history with Deep Brain Stimulation and how the results have been both erratic and miraculous. We […] The post Unhinged Episode #040: The Road To Now appeared first on Unhinged.

We start this episode with the announcement that Doug’s current remission has now surpassed his 3-month record. Not only has this remission lasted the longest so far, but it is also the highest quality remission he has had yet! Looks like the DBS is in the zone, working its magic. It’s not all rainbows and […] The post Unhinged Episode #039: What, Me Worry? appeared first on Unhinged.

This slightly shorter episode starts with us talking about an old, fairly obscure 80’s comedy movie, Rude Awakening. Find out why that movie is important to us, and how we came to discover it. We also talk about Ed’s mild travel anxiety as multiple trips are coming up, and how he handles it. He also […] The post Unhinged Episode #038: Clean Socks appeared first on Unhinged.

We continue the discussion about “Having” vs. “Being”, but this time we welcome special guest Mitchell Drew (rocket scientist, idealist, avid concert-goer) and ask his thoughts on the subject. Are we losing out on experiences in real life when we interact with our mobile devices? Or are those virtual social interactions just as valid? Are […] The post Unhinged Episode #037: Food For Thought appeared first on Unhinged.

This episode begins with some discussion over technology and socialization. Do today’s modern habits of burying ourselves in our tech devices isolate us from being social? Is social networking helping us become more or less connected with other humans? We both take slightly different sides on this issue. Doug’s current month-long remission from any depressive […] The post Unhinged Episode #036: Removing Obstacles appeared first on Unhinged.

In the first Unhinged episode of 2017, we discuss an interesting phenomenon called the Mandela Effect. Think your memory is accurate? Think again. The Mandela Effect is when large groups of people all share the same false memory, typically a memory that can be easily confused or distorted by similar or related memories. In psychology, […] The post Unhinged Episode #035: Tabula Rasa appeared first on Unhinged.

In our final show of 2016, we begin with a quick recap of the past year’s episodes, covering how Doug’s mood has fluctuated throughout. Luckily, we’re ending the year on a high note with Doug feeling some relief and successfully starting on his new path as a peer support worker. We then move on to […] The post Unhinged Episode #034: Coping and Hoping appeared first on Unhinged.

After a three-week hiatus, we’re back just in time for the holiday season! These past three weeks have been very dark for Doug, but he’s finally emerging from the shadows. With another tweak to his DBS settings, he has seen a shift from severe to moderate, which is definitely the direction he needs to go. […] The post Unhinged Episode #033: Don’t be SAD appeared first on Unhinged.

It’s been an extremely tough couple of weeks. We didn’t end up doing a show last week, partially due to scheduling conflicts, but also because Doug has fallen into a very deep depression and has yet to climb out of it. His mood has gotten progressively worse, to the point where he is now teetering […] The post Unhinged Episode #032: Where’s Hope? appeared first on Unhinged.

The importance of a solid support network is typically underrated, but is tantamount to the well-being of someone with depression, anxiety, or any other mental health issue. Family and friends that see through the stigma and understand that it’s a disease can be a very important pillar in the support system of sufferers. Perhaps just […] The post Unhinged Episode #031: Peer Through The Darkness appeared first on Unhinged.

In today’s episode, we welcome special guest Matt Moloney, an old co-worker and friend of Doug’s from years past. Matt talks to us about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Asperger’s Syndrome. Matt’s son Nathan was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, and what Matt has learned is that raising a child who is socially challenged has made […] The post Unhinged Episode #030: Autism Spectrum Disorder with Matt Moloney appeared first on Unhinged.

We welcome Doug back in this episode, but he’s still fighting through severe depression and anxiety. Apparently, this time, he actually felt the trigger of his downturn. It occurred after a comment from someone he looks up to totally took the wind out of his sails. With Doug’s delicate amygdala, any negative external stimuli can […] The post Unhinged Episode #029: Still Fighting appeared first on Unhinged.

If you listened to our last show, you know Doug has been feeling much better since the DBS adjustment was made maybe 1 month and a half ago or so. He was feeling confident and was looking forward to starting down the path of becoming a peer support counselor as well as working on more […] The post Unhinged Episode #028: Eyes are Green appeared first on Unhinged.

In this episode, we catch up with Doug’s progress with his DBS. Still going strong, even after a stressful few days. The neurological corrections (based on MEG brain imaging) are still in place and seem to still be working their magic a full month after altering the DBS settings. Deep Brain Stimulation has already helped […] The post Unhinged Episode #027: Electric Avenue appeared first on Unhinged.

Though Doug’s mood continues to improve from the new DBS setting, the end of the month financial struggle rears its ugly head again. In desperation, he started a crowdfunding campaign, only to suspend it early since we both felt uncomfortable with a plea for money with nothing in return. From this, we decided to add […] The post Unhinged Episode #026: Baby Steps appeared first on Unhinged.

In this episode we continue discussing Doug’s progress and how the MEG brain imaging has helped dial in his current DBS settings, which seem to be holding so far. Doug goes into a bit of detail about the differences between the types of brain imaging currently available and their specific uses. We also talk about […] The post Unhinged Episode #025: Carpe Diem appeared first on Unhinged.

Doug’s new setting on his DBS seems to still be working its miracles. Since the MEG scan pointed to three settings that showed promising neural activity, Doug has been on the first setting, and so far so good! No more shooting blind… with brain imaging, we now have a more reliable method of determining effective […] The post Unhinged Episode #024: Happy Days appeared first on Unhinged.

We’re back! In this episode, Doug talks about the results of his MEG scan and how he’s feeling after weeks of unbearable anxiety. His scans show that there are three DBS settings that were showing activity, so at least now, when adjusting the DBS, it can be done with some intelligence behind it rather than […] The post Unhinged Episode #023: Helplessly Hoping appeared first on Unhinged.