#773 Poverty, Loneliness & Low Self-Esteem - Derek

#773 Poverty, Loneliness & Low Self-Esteem - Derek

Author: Paul Gilmartin November 7, 2025 Duration: 1:24:11
Fellow support group member Derek shares about growing up in extreme poverty and isolation. Recently he has been learning how to connect and practice boundaries but is still struggling with being attracted to women who treat him badly.This episode is sponsored Quince. Go to www.Quince.com/mental for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.This episode is sponsored by NOCD.  If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/mentalpodIf you’re interested in seeing or buying the furniture that Paul designs and makes follow his IG @ShapedFurniture or visit the website www.shapedfurniture.com  WAYS TO HELP THE MIHH PODCASTSubscribe via Apple Podcasts (or whatever player you use). It costs nothing. It’s extremely helpful to have your subscription set to download all episodes automatically. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mental-illness-happy-hour/id427377900?mt=2Spread the word via social media.  It costs nothing.Our website is www.mentalpod.com our FB is www.Facebook.com/mentalpod and our Twitter and Instagram are both @Mentalpod Become a much-needed Patreon monthly-donor (with occasional rewards) for as little as $1/month at www.Patreon.com/mentalpod  Become a one-time or monthly donor via PayPal at https://mentalpod.com/donateYou can also donate via Zelle (make payment to mentalpod@gmail.com) To donate via Venmo make payment to @Mentalpod  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted by comedian Paul Gilmartin, Mental Illness Happy Hour has become a unique and essential space for conversations many shy away from. This isn't a clinical program, but rather a series of raw, honest dialogues where Gilmartin and his guests share their personal experiences with mental health struggles, addiction, fear, and the lasting impacts of childhood trauma. The atmosphere is intentionally crafted to be a perversely safe place, a description noted by The New York Times, where vulnerability is met with compassion rather than judgment. Listeners will find a podcast that deliberately explores the grey areas of human experience, with Slate Magazine highlighting Gilmartin's conscious effort to share stories that aren't simply black and white. It’s this approach that has led publications like Psychology Today to call it "remarkable" and Esquire to deem it a vital gem addressing a deep need. Tuning in, you'll hear a blend of personal narrative, dark humor, and profound connection that has earned the show a global audience and recognition as a top health podcast. Each episode serves as a reminder that you're not alone in your struggles, creating a sense of community through shared, often unvarnished truth.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Mental Illness Happy Hour
Podcast Episodes
#800 - Best Of - A Day Of You The Listener [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:23
Originally aired in 2012, this was the first ever “all listener” show. Paul reads their emails, surveys and more, all filled out within a 24 hour period to give the audience a sense of what a given day in our community’s…
#799 Best Of - Bipolar Psychosis & Support - Haydn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:08:23
Originally aired in 2015, in this “Best Of” episode the 27 year-old Colombian native shares about his recent hospitalization for Bipolar I psychosis. His girlfriend Rama (who was on the following week) sits in to share w…
#798 - Foster Care, Death & The Navy - Forrest Lang [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:57
Forrest Lang is an author and CSA (child sex abuse) advocate. He shares the story of his own childhood abuse, growing up in the foster care system, the death of his best friend, and how the Navy saved him. Look for his m…
#797 Brianne Davis Helps A Struggling Paul [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:31:38
Paul’s trusted support group friend Brianne Davis comes to lend him emotional support around his current mental/emotional struggles and to talk about her own experience with the challenge of mean self-talk and working to…
#796 A Deep Dark Dive with Jenny Lawson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:51:22
The brilliantly dark, funny and sensitive 5x NY Times bestselling author and blogger(@TheBloggess) drops by for a mammoth and deep episode about her struggles with imposter syndrome, trichotillomania, dermatillomania, an…
#795 Taking Off The Mask - A Best Of Ep w/Laurenne Sala [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:54:29
A Best Of ep originally aired in 2014. What happens when the Homecoming Queen takes off her popularity mask and deals with the pain of her co-dependent mom and the suicide of her gay father? The critically acclaimed auth…
#794 Best Of: Maria Bamford & The Psych Ward [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:53:02
In this listener-favorite ep from 2013, the groundbreaking and critically acclaimed comedian talks about her lifelong battles with OCD, Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome, BiPolar II, and the recent hospitalization that probably…
#793 - Darkness In The "Wholesome" Family - Andrea Leeb [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:38:25
Andrea Leeb is a writer and advocate who opens up about her experience as an incest survivor and the betrayal of both her father, who abused her, and her mother, who turned the other way. She also shares her path to heal…
#792 Can Personalities Change? - Olga Khazan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:37
Olga Khazan is an author and staff writer for The Atlantic. Today she talks about the experiments she undertook to change her own personality traits over the course of a year, which inspired her new book, Me, But Better.…
#791 Couple Issues - Erin Valente [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:37:00
Erin Valente is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) who gives practical advice for managing issues in your marriage, including moving through divorce. She also opens up about her abusive childhood and the work…