Is this really radical?

11/20/23 • 31 min

Paul helps to bust some myths about common misconceptions in the medical world. Paul speaks about the value of humanizing people’s experience rather than medicalising it and how including people’s loved ones in their care can make a real difference.

Previous Episode

You can sit with us

In this conversation we chat with Chris about how the experience of bipolar can feel but also how we can learn and grow from it. Chris talks about the importance of inclusion and connection, having a ‘vibe tribe’ and dropping judgement when caring for people who are having a rough time.

This episode mentions “The Road Less Travelled” By M. Scott Peck

Come and listen with:
Lucy (She/Her) – A big fan of pickleball, ice cream and storytelling

Rachel (She/Her) – Social Worker, Dialogical Practitioner, mad footy fan and wildly passionate about transforming the culture of mental health services to be person-led and human rights informed.

Incredible artwork @sharleencu_art

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT –You can sit with us

[00:00:01] Lucy: This podcast has conversations around different mental health experiences that may be distressing for some people. If that doesn’t feel like something you want to explore today, you might want to visit another podcast and come back to us another time.

[00:00:14] Rachel: discovery college acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to lands, waters and community. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to the elders, past and present. They have never ceded sovereignty.

[00:00:32] Lucy: In this podcast, we share stories that help us learn from each other, connect us and inspire growth. We want to acknowledge that this way of being, of coming together to share knowledge and stories, is a tradition that has already existed on this land for hundreds of thousands of years as a part of the culture of First Nations people.

[00:00:51] Rachel: discovery college acknowledges the views shared in this podcast are about mental health experiences, but are not a substitute for professional mental health advice and support. The views in this podcast are not the views of Alfred Health, but are the views of the individuals we’ve had conversations with.

[00:01:07] Lucy: The stories we share on this podcast aren’t just stories, but memories of the people who have bravely shared their experiences with us. Remember to take care of yourself as you listen, as well as to take care of the stories that you hear.

[00:01:33] Rachel: Extremely Human is a conversation about the profound experience of extreme states. When we speak about extreme states, we want to explore a more humanistic way to understand people’s experiences that aren’t always shared by others.

[00:01:47] Lucy: Each extreme state holds different meaning for each person, including those related to psychosis, depression, grief and addiction. As we chat with a variety of humans, we explore the important question how can we respond to distress with greater compassion and humanity?

[00:02:05] Rachel: Welcome back to the extremely human podcast titled you can sit with us. In this conversation, we chat with Chris about how the experiences of bipolar can feel, but also how we can learn and grow from them. Chris talks about the importance of inclusion and connection, having a vibe tribe and dropping judgment when caring for people who are having a rough time.

Chris, welcome. We have been asking everybody the same question at the start of each episode. It is, can you tell us a disproportionate reaction you or someone you know has had to something?

[00:02:53] Chris: Thank you so much, Rachel and Lucy. I’m actually so excited to be here. I’m definitely able to give an answer to that question. I remember once I was dancing in the cafe with my mum, just having a bit of a boogie, just a bit of a Saturday morning, just a little bit of a I don’t know, it wasn’t even that out there, actually. It was just moving my arms and stuff. And then my Mum was like, you can’t you can’t dance in public. And this was just after one of my episodes where I was almost hospitalised for bipolar disorder, like having an episode. And then I was just like because I was in that state of mind where I was just like, F you all. I was just like, no, you’re going to watch me now. And I think I did it even harder at the time. And I was just like moving around even more and stuff and did a few spins because I love to do a few spins. And then she got angry at me and then she stormed off. And then I went up to her afterwards and I said, Mum, I was just dancing, you got to just be a bit more light hearted.

And I was getting better. But I think it was just hard for her because I don’t know, my mom is a great mum, beautiful, but can be overprotective and worry about what other people think.

[00:04:11] Lucy: I feel like mums always cop it as...

Next Episode

Is this really radical?

In this honest chat with Paul, he helps to bust some myths about common misconceptions in the medical world. Paul speaks about the value of humanizing people’s experience rather than medicalising it and how including people’s loved ones in their care can make a real difference.

Come and listen with:

Lucy (She/Her) – A big fan of ice cream and storytelling

Incredible artwork @sharleencu_art

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT – Is this really radical?

In this honest chat with Paul, he helps to bust some myths about common misconceptions in the medical world. Paul speaks about the value of humanizing people’s experiences rather than medicalizing it, and how including people’s loved ones in their care can make a real difference.

[00:02:33] Lucy: Here we are again, Paul. Thank you for joining us in our humble little studio.

[00:02:38] Rachel: Pretty excited to have you here, Paul, and to talk with us about.

[00:02:42] Paul: Don’t give me too much pressure.

[00:02:43] Rachel: Yeah, no pressure.

[00:02:46] Lucy: For those who don’t know you, Paul, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself?

[00:02:50] Paul: Sure. Well, I’m a child psychiatrist and I actually came up to 20 years working at the Alfred a few months ago, so I’ve been in my job as like clinical director of Alfred Kim’s for that time.

[00:03:04] Lucy: Wow. Long time.

[00:03:04] Paul: Long time.

[00:03:06] Lucy: A lot of knowledge.

[00:03:07] Paul: Well, you might say it’s too long.

[00:03:10] Rachel: This is totally putting you on the spot. But if you had to give one sort of short statement to say what you stand for as a psychiatrist, what would it be?

[00:03:18] Paul: Wow. I don’t know if I can do it in one statement, but like anyone, you’re hopefully going to try to make the system better. I mean, I’ve got quite a privileged position because I’m in charge of, I think we’ve got about 200 staff. So really, my job is hopefully help people get the best out of themselves. That’s my job. And it is something you can’t take lightly, because I do actually have power. And if you’re not going to use that for good, then it’s a shame.

[00:03:48] Rachel: That kind of reflects why we thought you might be a good speaker today, because the issues that we’re talking about is really about how do we make the system work better for people who are in extreme distress. Before we get to that, we have a bit of a standing opening quest...