Speaker 0: 0:10

Good day everybody. My name is Elliot Waters and you're listening to the Dysregulated Podcast. As always, thank you for tuning in. If you're enjoying the show, feel free to like, subscribe, give the show a great rating and you can share it around with your mates. And you can follow me on Instagram at elliotttwaters, and you can follow the show on Facebook by searching for the Dysregulated Podcast. All right, so let's do a little bit of a check-in. Most of this episode is going to be about the podcast itself and what's coming up ahead and a few things like that. So that'll be the majority of this episode, but I will touch on my mood just quickly.

Speaker 0: 0:51

Of course, over the last two weeks I don't have a great deal to report. It's sort of been a bit of the whole same old same old, which is lots of anxiety, lots of social capacity issues. There's been some depressive dips, though, I must admit, which have caught me off guard a little bit, yesterday not being a particularly great day, but then yesterday was a no stimulant day, so I was very, very flat yesterday. I wasn't super, super anxious, but I was quite depressed without that stimulant and I certainly had no energy and I did a lot of sleeping. But the good thing is that this week or the end of this week or last week, I haven't done the whole stay in bed for like two, three days thing and then be so petrified that I can't move once I wake up again. That whole little exercise didn't happen this week or this one. Just gone it was yeah. So yesterday I was sleeping a lot but I was still able to get my meals in and medications and all that sort of stuff, but of course not the stimulant, because I needed a stimulant holiday, as you call it, to keep that tolerance under control. Actually, there is some bad news regarding my medication, bad bad news, and I'm going to do a full episode on it soon, and that episode is titled, or will be titled, medication Emergency, because that's exactly what's going on. It's not good. But those with adhd in particular, who are prescribed the stimulant, you guys, I think will understand exactly where I'm coming from. Uh, with this particular medication emergency, but that's coming maybe tomorrow or wednesday, um, but yes, I slept a lot because of no stimulation. Um, as I said, the anxiety wasn't too bad, don't get me wrong. It was there, as it always is, but it didn't go to that next level, but I was very flat and depressed. It was a nice day outside. I didn't leave the house, it's that sort of stuff. It wasn't particularly fun, but I got through it as best as I could. Then today it wasn't particularly fun, but I got through it as best as I could. And then today we're back on the stimulant and here we are doing a podcast episode, and that's sort of how it happens.

Speaker 0: 3:12

I wouldn't say at this point that I'm addicted to the medication. I wouldn't. I don't believe that because I don't crave it in the sense that I'm like you know, oh, I can't wait to have my dexamphetamine. I'm going to feel so high, it's going to be great, I'm just going to go crazy. That's not how I think. I think I can't wait to have my dexamphetamine medication because then I can actually get up and do something and achieve something with my day. So I don't know, maybe that in itself is a high and if it is well, whatever.

Speaker 0: 3:38

But yeah, very dependent on the medications I have to be able to function at all, which is not good, and this is why I wanted to try and get off them. But, as we know, that has become maybe a bridge too far. But anyway, that's all right. That's still evolving, that situation. I'm still a little while away until my next psychiatry appointment and same as my next psychology appointment too. That's a little bit off. The reason I haven't been to the psychologist as much lately and therefore haven't done a my Therapy Reflections episode recently is because I don't have the money. Because you'll remember, if you've been listening to the show, that I've dropped back hours at work to try and build up that social capacity and not be burnt out at the end of each week, which I'm still not sure if this experiment is coming up with the results that I was hoping for. But anyway, whatever, it's still ongoing. But the fact is I'm not making as much money as I was and unfortunately psychology, or at least the consistency of me going to therapy, has been put on hold a bit because I just can't afford it.

Speaker 0: 4:46

So if there's anyone listening who's got a spare I don't know 10 grand, feel free to sponsor the show. If you'd like to sponsor the show, let me know. That would be great. Still waiting for a sponsor. I'm sure one of these medication companies would like to sponsor the show, but unfortunately I've rubbished their product too often to probably make it worthwhile for them. So I don't know, maybe I'll look for sponsorship in another way, anyway, moving on.

Speaker 0: 5:13

So to the stuff that's about the podcast moving forward. So the first thing is the intake interview series. So I am putting the call out. I think I've done it briefly on the show already, but I'm doing it again here now and I'm going to do an episode on the whole intake interview series process. So it's very clear for those who want to get on board and share their story. But I am putting the call out. If you'd like to share your story of lived experience here on the show, feel free to message me on Instagram, on Facebook, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Speaker 0: 5:50

There's a few people that have messaged through that I haven't replied to yet, and I really want to say this this isn't because I don't respect your story. Okay, like, the privilege and the honor to share and showcase some people's lived experience on this show is something that's not lost on me, trust me. And if you're waiting for a reply from me and you're thinking that I must not give a damn, that's why I haven't opened your message and done it yet. That's not the case. The case is social capacity issues. So I apologise to those who have reached out and I haven't been able to get back to just yet. I promise when the winds are blowing I'm going to have my sales set in the right direction.

Speaker 0: 6:31

I'm going to do all the replying and sending out of emails for the Intac interviews, because this is going to be awesome, it's going to be great and it's going to be really good to be able to put your stories out there in a way that you would like it to be presented, because it's your episode, it's not mine. But yeah, I just need that social capacity. I'm hoping today I'll be able to reply to people, but even so, if you listen to this episode, you're wondering where the hell I've been. I've been around, but I haven't been very active since the end of the week because I have been quite snowed under as far as social capacity goes. So my apologies, there's no disrespect from my behalf. I just haven't been able to mentally be able to do it yet. So those replies are coming soon.

Speaker 0: 7:21

It is also helpful and important, and I'll talk more about this in the episode dedicated to the interview series and how it works. But it is helpful and important if you do provide an email address, because there's a few documents that I send across, just like a talent release form is one, or my rubric, like a structured document just to put a bit of structure around the episode. I send that one across as well. That's a Google document that we can both access. So an email address is helpful because then I can send those attachments along, as well as the little spiel that I give and will be giving to all the guests on the show, just to make sure that you guys know exactly what's going on and you're in control.

Speaker 0: 8:12

It's your story, you're the expert, it's your episode, and I cannot wait to listen to your experiences and be able to showcase them here on the show. It's a real great privilege and I think it'll do the listeners a lot of good too, because I've said this before and I'll say it again my story is for better or for worse is quite broad, because I've said this before and I'll say it again my story is for better or for worse is quite broad, because I have a lot of diagnoses, I'm on a lot of medications, I've trialled a lot of medications and I've done a lot of therapy, but at the same time, it still is only my story and my experiences, and although I can wear a lot of hats different hats in the mental health space, I can't wear them all, which is a good thing, because I think that's. I don't think my prognosis would be very good under the weight of all those hats. But you guys bring with you such unique, awesome experiences and that contribution to the show, I think, will just be so awesome for people listening and myself to really broaden that understanding where it comes around to mental ill health. So, yeah, there you go, and lots of inspiration as well. Let's not forget that part and it's important. I think these episodes are important because often when you've got a mental illness, you do feel very alone and isolated. That's what the illnesses do to you, or at least that's the perception that they try and give you, and I think by getting people on the show here, you know it's really going to highlight that you're not alone. You know, and I'm not alone too, and I need that reminder often as well. So so, yes, the intake interview is very important. If you'd like to get involved, send me a message, no pressure, but at the same time it would be great to hear from you. Speaking of hearing from you. A few people have messaged recently through the. So, if you look at the descriptions of every episode, there's a link send me a message, and a few people have sent me a message through that link, which is awesome. Thank you for those messages.

Speaker 0: 10:00

The problem is I can't, as far as I can tell, I can't reply to those messages that get sent through the send me a message prompt, so I'm able to read them and I have read them and it's been really great. I've appreciated that sort of feedback and you guys checking in. The problem is, though, I don't really have a way of replying, as far as I can tell, through this function. So I don't think I'll get rid of the function, because it is an easy way to just quickly send something through if you'd like to, but it is a little bit limited in the fact that I can't seem to get a reply to you. So, if you'd like a reply, probably look towards Instagram, facebook and message me on there, and again, when I have the capacity and I'm not completely under the pump of anxiety, I will definitely get back to you. So, yeah, so just let you know. For those that have sent me a message that way, I've received them but I don't seem to be able to have a way to reply.

Speaker 0: 11:02

Okay, the Q&A sessions. The Q&A sessions were meant to start last week. Typical Elliot didn't get it out. That's because I busy week and my plan is to do the episodes, I'm hoping, on a Friday the head into the weekend. So we've all got something to listen to over the weekend and to do it every single Friday. So it's consistent. Because you'll know, if you've listened to this show, how consistency, like it is in my general life, is a big problem. So I'm hoping to really use the Q&A sessions as a way to be consistent.

Speaker 0: 11:33

I've had some great messages or questions sent in. Some of them have been quite tricky and you know like the idea is. I want to do short and sharp sort of thing. You know, get a few questions, answer them nice short and sharp sort of answers and responses and quite often the question may, you know, lead to a bigger episode down the track. That's a bit more fleshed out, but I do want it to be sort of, you know, rapid fire, boom, boom, boom. Here's a well thought out answer to your question. But at the same time, you know, that's how I want those sessions to sort of look so, and there's a few questions there that already will and have and are demanding, inherently in the fact that they're great questions that deserve their own episodes. So I'll explain that when I answer the first lot of questions shortly. My plan is to do the Q&A sessions episode, the first one, the first actual session, today or tomorrow and get it out to you guys, and then do the second one on Friday and then hopefully follow that sort of schedule from then on in. So we'll see how we go.

Speaker 0: 12:42

But like, for example, one of the questions it's a great question, they're all been great questions that has been sent in is it's one about my lived experience, which is which of the mental health disorders that I've got which is the most challenging to live with and that deserves, I think, an episode on its own because it's a great question. It's something I've never really answered before. You know, I talk about all these different mental illnesses that I've got. Remember I've got like seven or eight of them, from BPD, borderline personality, to ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder. What else is there? Autism, recurrent depressive episodes, let's say, substance abuse disorder that's probably there too. There's a lot of them and I do talk about the different disorders reasonably frequently, but I've never really I don't think said which, you know, any sort of order of risk I guess these different mental illnesses for me personally pose. So that'll be good, it'll be good to answer that question. I'm looking forward to it. The answer I'll answer it in two ways, but yeah, it sort of came pretty quickly to me as well, which I thought was interesting. So my little sort of hypothesis about my own mental illnesses and the severity and how chronic, debilitating, and how they infiltrate my life have come out pretty clearly. So that's, I know there's a bit of insight that I gained as well. All right, the last thing is to say so this week I did some recording for another podcast, which is called the Better Left Said Podcast, which is being run through the University of Newcastle, and I'm a part of the project team as the lived experience expert or advisor or whatever you want to call it, which is awesome.

Speaker 0: 14:39

I've been involved in the co-designing of the, of the um, the, the investigation, the research investigation, um it's. It's a part of a PhD program, not me, I'm not doing the PhD, but one of the participants well, not participants. One of the researchers is it's her PhD program, but it's also going to be hopefully published as well, depending on what the results sort of come out with. So it's basically what we're doing and I'm so thrilled to be a part of the team is we're assessing the, I guess, utility or the usefulness of a podcast when it comes to reaching men with moderate to severe anxiety or depression. So this is through the work of Associate Professor Dr Miles Young, who, of course, is my supervisor.

Speaker 0: 15:30

He was my supervisor when I did my honours thesis and he's who I work with at the university, which is awesome. It's great to have that working relationship and that friendship continue on, and he'll be coming on the show very soon to talk about the Better Left Said podcast. And I also want to grill him on what it was really like trying to get me kicking and screaming across the finish line when I did my thesis, because I don't think I was the easiest of students that he's had. But at the same time, we still work together now on research projects. So I don't know, I must have been all right to work with. But yeah, miles is coming on soon, which is going to be so cool. But the Better Left Said podcast. So I did recording during the week, like I said, and if you go on social media you'll see those posts that I put up there of me in the recording studio with the team, which is really great, but there's some other great episodes that have been recorded.

Speaker 0: 16:27

So if you are a male who has moderate to severe depression, or the belief that you do, who has moderate to severe depression or the belief that you do, and you would like to try listening to a podcast, it's not this one but it's another one that I'm involved with quite intimately and I am recorded on it as well. I give my reflections after each episode from the lived experience point of view. If you believe this might be something you'd like to be a part of, it doesn't cost any money, of course. It's a great research project. This is real research that has real-world consequences. If it is shown that a podcast is able to reach this traditionally very tough cohort to reach, which is men who are suffering from mood or anxiety disorder, this is huge, moving forward, huge, and I've got a feeling that it probably will. I think it will because I know just from this podcast that I do that. It seems to really work with getting across to, I guess, both genders or all genders. So I guess, anecdotally, from my work with my own podcast, it appears podcast platforms seem to do something and better left said, I'm a part of it as well, and so are so many great experts in the field. It's really good. It's really good information. So I really encourage all men who may fit the requirements to sign up, if you would like to.

Speaker 0: 18:06

After this episode I'm going to post some info up about it on Instagram and Facebook. So my suggestion would be to keep an eye out on Instagram at elliotttwaters, or on Facebook by searching the Dysregulated Podcast. You'll see the page for the show. Have a look on there and I will have posted the information about getting involved in that research trial. It's very, very exciting. We're looking for 40 participants to begin with, but this will, if the first initial trial, which is almost a pilot run, if it comes back that there's some significance in the results either way, somewhere there's significance then the idea is, what usually happens is more funding is requested and then this trial is rolled out um more broadly, uh, in different waves, and then the results are obviously compared and and then the the um, conclusions are drawn from there. But, yeah, so, 40 participants to begin with, so you may have to get in quick but at the same time, if you don't get in this time but you'd like to, um, don't worry, there'll be more of it coming, I'm sure.

Speaker 0: 19:22

So that's the Better Left Said podcast, which, yeah, during the week I recorded an episode, the second to last episode, which is about accessing help through a GP, and I was joined by a general practitioner, dr Cathy O'Grady, as well as Liz Daskam, who is the PhD student. So the what's that? Three, four of us were in the room having a great conversation, and it was really good to get her insights into the world of GPs and how they approach mental health consultations, because the big thing, the big statistic that she came away with or I came away with, as she said, was that GPs I don't know if you knew this, but 71% of appointments with a GP are mental health related. 71%, that's heaps, and that tells me there's a lot of people out there who are suffering from mental ill health. So that's why it's so important that we try different interventions, novel ways of reaching out to people, such as podcast platforms, because there's a lot of people out there who are doing it tough. So 71% of all appointments in Australia with a GP are done in the mental health sort of side of things. So I thought that was quite quite well. Yeah, sort of stunned me a little bit, I knew it'd be high, but yeah, that's a lot. So there you go.

Speaker 0: 20:44

It's not just me, it's not just me and it's not just you either. There is a lot of us out there who are going through this and that's why we need to really stick together and, you know, try and help each other get along, because life's pretty hard. It doesn't matter who you are, life is hard and I haven't met anybody who's got away with it, you know. So you know we're all got our own struggles, whether it's a mental illness or whether it's just. You know, life is being really difficult, which it can be, which can, of course, lead to mental illnesses. But generally speaking, I just assume that everyone's got something going on. So if we can just try and be pretty nice to each other, I reckon that's a pretty good idea. All right, that's it for now.

Speaker 0: 21:25

There was a bit in that episode, but yeah, a bit of um admin to sort of get through what's coming up very exciting, um. So I'm going to get on to that ASAP because I've got a bit of energy, I've got a bit of social capacity at the moment. So I need to hit the ground running and take advantage when I can because, as you know, unfortunately I don't stay in these good, positive, productive moods for that long. So I've got to get into it, I've got to stick with it. Let's go, let's keep on trucking. All right, thank you everybody for listening. I hope you're enjoying the show. Of course, reach out if you'd like to be a part of the q a sessions, reach out if you'd like to be part of the intake interview series and just reach out if you'd like to. In general, just to say good day, because I encourage that as well. All right, thanks everybody, have a good one and I'll see you next time here on the Dish Regulated Podcast.