Imani State of Mind

If you think eating disorders are just a "white girl problem", this episode is for you. The National Eating Disorder Association estimates that 30 million Americans are affected by eating disorders. Imani breaks down how eating disorders affect people across all demographics, what eating disorders are, and how you can cope if you're struggling with disordered eating. Plus, she dives deep into fore...

Electro convulsive therapy (ECT) sounds scary...but is it? This week, Imani talks with comedian Gary Gulman who underwent ECT to treat severe depression. Plus, Imani and Gary compare notes on the way depression has affected both of their lives over the years. Gary's hour-long comedy special, The Great Depresh, is out on HBONow and HBOGo.

This week, Imani shares how she's been processing the end of her marriage to her partner of 11 years, how she's been coping with being alone and single parenting, and why divorce was the right move for her. Plus, she takes a close look at Spike Lee's latest movie Da 5 Bloods and how it deals with PTSD.

Do your thoughts hit different? You're not alone. Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder in the United States. This week, Imani breaks down what kinds of anxiety disorders there are, what they feel like, and how to get help for them. Plus, Imani digs into how mental illness shows up on HBO's Insecure.

Between COVID and the most recent protests against police brutality, ""how are you?"" is a loaded question right now - especially for Black folks! Imani talks with reporter Priska Neely about the cognitive dissonance of getting check-in texts from her white friends (you can read her essay in The Cut about those texts here: https://www.thecut.com/2020/06/i-dont-need-your-check-in-texts.html), plus...

Is having bipolar disorder really  like having a "sprained brain" like Kanye said? This week Imani breaks down for you what bipolar looks and feels like and how to get help. Plus, on Pop Culture Diagnosis, Imani goes deep on how bipolar disorder shows up for everyone's favorite hype man on FX's Dave.

Black women are twice as likely to experience a major depressive disorder compared to Black men, but Black women are less likely to seek mental health help. This week Dr. Imani talks with therapist and author of The State of Black Girls, Marline Francois Madden to talk about why therapy is an important part of mental health care, how to find a therapist, and how to truly make time for self-care.

Stigma makes it hard for so many people to even talk about their mental health, let alone get help. But among Millennials and Gen Z, there's less and less stigma about mental illness. This week, Imani talks with Tracy Clayton (@brokeymcpoverty) about how she became a go-to voice for normalizing mental health conversations for Millennials on Twitter.

Substance abuse is on the rise as we’ve been in quarantine. This week, Imani talks with addiction psychiatrist and host of the ‘In Recovery’ podcast, Dr. Nzinga Harrison about what addiction is, why recovery can be so difficult, and what you should look out for if you’re worried about your own behavior. 

We are stressed! And this isn’t just normal stress - the pandemic has disrupted every aspect of our lives, and this summer there’s already been a non-stop tide of news stories of police shootings and violence against black communities. This week Dr. Imani lays out how to process the trauma of trying to live your life in the midst of a crisis. Plus, Dr. Imani breaks down how one of her favorite TV...