Podcasts for Mental Illness Awareness Week 2023
By: Heather and Sarah Taylor, hosts of Braaains podcast
One in eight people around the world have a mental health disability or disorder and Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) is there to help inform and educate people on the realities of this. It happens annually during the first week in October and it allows everyone to address misconceptions about mental illness and promote acceptance while striving to reduce stigma.
As hosts of Braaains, the expert-led podcast about mental health and disabilities and how they’re portrayed on television and film, we wanted to shine a light on mental illness during this week. We created the three-part mini-series You’re Not Alone: Navigating Life with Mental Illness that launches on October 3, 2023. It explores mental illness, the barriers that can block your journey to good mental health, and how stigmas, diagnoses, and disclosure are represented on film and television.
But we’re not the only ones talking about mental illness and representation! There are so many amazing podcasts helping us feel less alone in our mental health journeys and here are a few of our favorites!
The Best Podcasts on Mental Health and Representation
Click on the images to listen
Braaains
Okay, okay, this is our podcast but we couldn’t help ourselves! We love to talk to people with lived experience of everything to do with the brain (including mental health and disabilities) and find out how they wished film and television could better represent them and the people they love! We not only work in the entertainment industry (Heather is a writer/director and Sarah is an editor) but we both have invisible disabilities (Heather has ADHD and Sarah has Generalized Anxiety Disorder) and we grew up with family members with mental health disabilities.
With our podcast, we want people to see the personal side of mental health, disabilities, and everything that impacts our brains — and see how much authentic representation matters on film and TV. This podcast makes people feel less alone, encourages them to question the representation they see on screen, and, if they have the power to do so, help create and advocate for more accurate and authentic representation as #representationmatters!
Psychocinematic
Next up is Steph's fantastic podcast, Psychocinematic, which analyzes depictions of mental illness and disabilities in film and TV. This was the first podcast we discovered that had an ethos like ours, instead it’s hosted by a psychologist! We’re like the perfect podcast pairing and we already think of her as a friend as we all strive to advocate for film and TV to better reflect the lived experiences we represent!
We love Steph so much that we invited her to be on our three-part mini-series for Mental Illness Awareness Week and she dissects the huge topic of disclosure! We discuss how you approach disclosure, concerns around discrimination about disclosure and how to address it, and why some people incorporate their mental illness or disability into their identity after disclosure.
We also talk about some depictions of disclosure on TV shows like Heartbreak High, Special, Silver Linings Playbook, and Not Dead Yet. Do subscribe to her show — and make sure to tune in to her episode on disclosure in our mini-series, You’re Not Alone: Navigating Life with Mental Illness.
Popcorn Psychology
Like Psychocinematic, this is a podcast from a therapist's perspective. Though it doesn't feature someone with lived experience discussing films from their perspective, it does look at favorite blockbuster movies and puts them through a mental health filter. These films are broken down by three licensed therapists who come with the perspective of an individual, child, and a marriage and family therapist. Definitely worth a listen for those who love blockbusters and haven't really thought about what they have represented on screen. These episodes often run 90 minutes to 2 hours (Sarah LOVES a long podcast!) so they are great for those longer drives or when you’re cleaning up around the house!
Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation
This is one of Sarah’s favorite podcasts and it’s about cults, extreme belief, and manipulation — from two hosts, Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth, who’ve actually lived it. A great episode to listen to in regards to mental health is THROWBACK: Post-Traumatic Growth with Richard Tedeschi. UNC Charlotte professor and psychology researcher Dr. Richard Tedeschi discusses his pioneering work on post-traumatic growth, how his field is different from resilience, how core beliefs are involved in our trauma, what "integration" means, and the value of an "expert companion," having a mission, and sharing your story.
I Weigh with Jameela Jamil
We’re so glad that Jamella’s social media post on mental health spanned a whole mental health movement — and this podcast! On I Weigh, Jameela Jamil challenges societal norms through conversations with thought-leaders, performers, activists, influencers, and friends about their own experiences and stories with their mental health. Tune in to these hilarious and vulnerable conversations so you can find an accessible way to celebrate your progress with your mental health, not perfection.
A great episode is Being Brave with Alexi Pappas, who is a former Olympian, Ultrarunner, filmmaker, and author. She talks about post-Olympic depression and all kinds of athlete mentality including the importance of puberty and commitment to goals, how we can change our vocabulary to help body pain and mental health, and how a humbling experience in a marathon in New York City brought Alexi comfort and peer support. So many great nuggets there for everyone!
The Editor’s Cut
Sarah also hosts a monthly podcast that explores the art of picture editing for the Canadian Cinematic Editors (CCE). The Editor’s Cut is a monthly podcast that explores the art of picture editing in Canada. We wanted to shout out a special episode they did on mental health. The episode The Bigger Picture: Editing and Mental Health (Yes! The people making the films have to worry about their mental health, too!) focuses on the mental and overall health of editors with conversations with registered psychotherapist, Laura Di Vilioa, and Zack Arnold, ACE, who edited episodes of Cobra Kai, Empire, Burn Notice, Shooter, and Glee, just to name a few. They offer a wealth of information on how we can live happier and more productive lives both in and out of the edit suite. This really applies to anyone trying to separate their life from their work!
Psychoanalysis: A Horror Therapy Podcast
I — I being Heather — LOVE horror and am fascinated with looking at what makes horror tick, especially as seen through a mental health lens. Hosts Jenn Adams, Lara Unnerstall, and therapist Mike Snoonian break down horror films through the lens of a specific mental health topic (and back it up with academic research). SWOON. Did you know research is Heather's favorite hobby? Yay, ADHD brain! Very worth a listen, especially if horror is your jam!!
Each month, the hosts take an in-depth look at a topic in the mental health field like anxiety, PTSD, and toxic relationships. For the bi-weekly episodes, they pair topics with a horror film and analyze its plot and characters through the lens of mental health. They also discuss their own mental health experiences.
P.S. Check out last year’s Braaains Halloween episode on Horror and Trauma, and keep your eye out for our upcoming Halloween specials on Cults (with American Psycho screenwriter, Guinevere Turner) and Ghosts (with Geist podcast host, Danielle Matar). Well worth a listen!
