It’s Not What You Think

Adelaide Miller: Solving the jigsaw of multiple diagnoses

Award-winning ABC journalist and independent filmmaker, Adelaide Miller has a lot going on. Over the last five years she's been diagnosed with OCD, an eating disorder, mild tourettes and ADHD. 
 
Adelaide talks to Penny and Alison about the symptoms she experienced as a child, the painful and awkward lengths she would go to, to make others feel happy and loved and how she's worked to unpack the different components of her neurodivergence and mental health. 
 
We discuss eating disorders in this episode, so if you need help please contact The Butterfly Foundation
 
Show notes: 
The Man Who Couldn't Stop by David Adam 

We're back..again! An ADHD diagnosis, an OCD slump and a big season ahead.

Season 3 is here! We're kicking things off with a relaxed catch-up between the girls-  chatting about Angie's recent ADHD diagnosis, Penny's honest account of an OCD relapse and Alison's mental gymnastics in the holidays. We also give you a little taste of the incredible guests we have lined up for the season ahead. 

Group chat: How OCD affects friendships

OCD can take so much from people, and a devastating effect of this illness is that it can complicate friendships. In this last episode of season 2, Alison Cosker joins Penny and Ange again to talk about how and why this is the case.
They touch on:
- How hard it can be to tell friends about an OCD diagnosis - The strain a mental illness, with no end-date can put on friendships- The boundaries that people with mental illness often have to put in place to look after themselves, and how this can be misconstrued- How friends can get entangled in the reassurance web- Trying to take the ego out of friendship where possible 
They end by giving tips for trying to maintain precious friendships; from the point of views of the person with and without OCD 

Monique Michelson: A neuroaffirming psychologist with ASD, ADHD and OCD

 
The guest this week is Monique Mitchelson, a neurodivergent clinical psychologist and co- host of the very popular Neurodivergent Woman podcast. 
 
Monique very generously shares her story about growing up in Queensland as an undiagnosed autistic adhd’er with OCD and learning more about her brain (and her family’s brains) once she became a psychologist. In this ep the following subjects are discussed:
- Why Monique decided to get into psychology 
- How so much changed once she received her diagnoses as an adult 
- Being a neurodivergent clinician and being open about being on medication 
- The interplay of symptoms when you have ASD, adhd and ocd with chronic health conditions 
- The motivations that drive the behaviour of people with neurotypical vs neurodivergent brains
- The risk of burnout for neurodivergent women
- Some of the differences behind the motivations that drive behaviours of kids with ocd and ASD 
 
The Neurodivergent Woman podcast 

When Tourette syndrome meets OCD

Did you know that Tourette Syndrome (TS) and OCD frequently co-occur? Penny and Angie talk to Jason McCurry who has TS and OCD. Jason talks so generously about:
- Experiencing both TS and OCD symptoms as a kid in a country town
- How OCD and TS interrelate 
- What actually happens physically when he starts ticking
- How physically arduous constant ticking can be for someone with TS
- His trepidation about coming onto the podcast, particularly with his TS flaring up a bit recently
- How he would like people to react if his TS symptoms flare up in public 
- How and why he now helps young people experiencing disability 
 
CYDA
For more info about Tourette Syndrome:
Tourette Syndrome Association of Australia

Perinatal OCD: When ‘the happiest time of your life’ turns dark.

This week is all about perinatal OCD, and it’s a biggie. Penny and Ange chat to perinatal and reproductive psychiatrist Dr Edna Lekgabe and clinical psychologist Dr kit Casey. In the discussion they talk about:
What perinatal OCD is
How the brain fundamentally changes during matrescence
Who gets perinatal OCD and why
Some of the common ( and extremely difficult obsessions that come up with perinatal OCD)
The ‘professionalisation of parenthood’
The loneliness of experiencing perinatal OCD
Why it’s so commonly misdiagnosed/missed altogether
Medication throughout the perinatal period
 
Matrescence by Lucy jones 
Self compassion episode with Andrea 
Pharmacist Rodney White at Monash medical centre; 03 9594 2361
Royal women’s hospital medicines information service:03 8345 3190
PANDA 1300 726 306
Lifeline https://www.lifeline.org.au/ 13 11 14
Pregnancy birth and baby 1800 882 436
COPE centre of perinatal excellence 
SANDS miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death support 
OCD Bounce 
So OCD 
Health direct(info for service around Australia) 

Bailey MacDonald: Being a young person with OCD

This week Penny and Angie talk to Bailey MacDonald, an 18 year old who has OCD. Bailey has been suffering with OCD for many years, but it was a few years ago that a particular OCD theme entered Bailey’s life and completely upended it. Whilst Bailey isn’t comfortable to go into the content of the obsessions, she bravely talks to Penny and Angie about: 
⁃Her first encounter with the mental health system and why it put her ff seeking help for years after
⁃How exhausting it is to be at school whilst dealing with debilitating OCD
⁃When she first told her mum about the obsessions 
⁃How dark things became because she just wanted to go back to the time ‘before’
⁃Starting a podcast about OCD for a school project, which quickly became a passion project 
⁃How much hope she now has that things can get better 
 
🔗 Listen to Bailey's podcast

Alison Cosker: A special chat about neurodivergence, 'that' tricky OCD manoeuvre and the profundity of grief.

This week Penny and Ange welcome their dear friend and unofficial producer, Alison Cosker, into the studio for a conversation about multiple diagnoses, doubting the doubt, and how grief can be impacted by OCD (and vice versa). 
 
They also introduce the first Obsession Confession segment sent in by a dear listener.

Dr Louise Newson: OCD & hormones

From periods, pregnancy and beyond, hormones play a crucial role in your mental health. When you have OCD, you might notice that during certain times of the month, or throughout certain life stages, the OCD symptoms get significantly better or worse. Penny and Angie chat with Dr Louise Newson, GP and menopause specialist, to explore how natural hormone shifts interact with OCD and anxiety. 
 
They also discuss:
- how to advocate for yourself when you see a doctor and you might be curious about looking further into your hormones and hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- the difference between natural and synthetic hormones
- how histamine sensitivity can affect hormone- related OCD 
 
The Doctor Louise Newson Podcast
Balance app
The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause by Louise Newson

Rick Davies: The agony and absurdity of living with ocd

Australian actor and writer Rick Davies joins us to talk candidly about living with OCD and his more recent diagnosis of ADHD. We chat about:
How acting became a safe haven from the exhaustion of OCD
The trepidation of talking so openly about mental illness as someone with a public profile
How cathartic it is to hear other people talk about their ocd experiences
The co morbidity of OCD and ADHD
Feeling like a fraud when the ocd flares up
How privilege plays into recovery
 
The imperfects episode with Rick Davies
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4gkJmjH0evWzyJckThC5lk?si=f7bxsnpNTpaMe5GWPmuahw