The Dysregulated Podcast

The "BPD, OCD and Depression Model" is a conceptualisation I have created to highlight and explain how these disorders work in tandem to make life difficult for us with living with these illnesses.  On their own these disorders can do untold levels of damage and ruin lives, but when they link up and work together the results can be devastating. Through the knowledge of how these disorder...

In this episode I read out and explore the referral letter sent by my GP to the Maitland Private hospital. It is this letter that has got me in to get the help I desperately need.  I am hopeful that it shows at least in part the process involved in gaining an admission to a private psychiatric ward and gives a brief overview of what I have been dealing with over the last few months to years, and s...

It has been a little while since an episode has been uploaded (apologies), but all is explained within. I have been plagued by constant obsessive and negative intrusive thoughts which has made life my personal version of hell. In true Elliot style though, we have not given up! We have a new plan to tackle my mental illnesses and they don't know what is about to hit them! Lately my presentatio...

This episode is the first in a long while. And unfortunately it isn't all good news. But, thanks to a resilient mindset borne out of the inspirational Rocky series, this guy isn't throwing in the towel!  A special thank you to each and every listener. Your support certainly has got me through some dark days and I look forward to sharing in the wins again with you soon.  -- Follow The Dys...

In this episode I explain how the hardest three weeks have impacted me, and in particular how the last two days have been undoubtably the most difficult of my mental health journey so far. But fear not! This episode has a positive ending! But it took everything I had to get there. This is as raw , genuine and real as it gets. This is an episode coming from the frontlines of my mental health battle...

This was a hard episode to record and I think you can hear it in my voice. I have just about ran out of fuel and am barely holding on! I explain how Depression, Anxiety and ADHD contribute to running our energy levels down and the implications this can have on us. There are two ways to fill up your fuel tank, organic healthy means such as exercise and good diet, or you can rely on medications. And...

The week from hell continues as we dig in and fight onwards! Every moment spells danger but thanks to true grit and resilience we are in the game and doing our best. This mental-health warrior has plenty left in the tank! New jobs throw up their challenges, but when you are so self-defeating it can make the task to press on so much more difficult. But that is exactly what I am doing. No surrender...

In this episode I finally reveal what my new job is, and the stress that I have been putting on myself since I started. I analyse why I put such lofty expectations on my performance, which I think has to do with a defensive mechanism gone wrong. And of course, my various mental illnesses have played their part in making this happen! You can follow the show on Instagram @thedysregulated.podcast --...

In this episode I dive back into my hospital discharge papers and reflect on what was possibly the lowest period of my life. I recount the circumstances brought upon by mental illness which saw me admitted to a psychiatric ward, and the follow-up consultation with the psychiatrist who would formally diagnose me with Borderline Personality Disorder. This episode contains a trigger warning for theme...

This episode explores my first week in my new job! Although I can't go into specifics about this new job just yet. And the reason for this? Anxiety! My old friend who just likes to stick around.... I dive into some of the illogical beliefs and thought processes I have been contending with over the last few days which have threatened, but not succeeded, in derailing what is a great step forwar...

Been a bit of a struggle over the last two weeks, but recording an episode is a great way to push back against negative thoughts and emotions! -- Follow The Dysregulated Podcast : Instagram – @elliot.t.waters Facebook – The Dysregulated Podcast YouTube – The Dysregulated Podcast (Official Channel) Created by Elliot Waters — Inspired by lived experience . Mental health insights, real stories, real...

Caffeine has for a long time been a very significant part of my mental health story. So much so that I have been told I have "Caffeine Use Disorder". So what is this disorder and what does it mean for our caffeine intakes? In this episode I go through the qualifiers for Caffeine Use Disorder and share some insights into how caffeine has been helpful and a hinderance along my mental healt...

In this episode I talk about my struggles with anhedonia and feeling "flat". I touch on how ADHD and Depression appear to be linked by anhedonia and the neurotransmitter dopamine. Finally, I share some tips on goal setting and the importance of taking small incremental steps towards our grand objectives.  -- Follow The Dysregulated Podcast : Instagram – @elliot.t.waters Facebook – The Dy...

In this episode I discuss two techniques to create space from negative thought processes, cognitive distancing and cognitive defusion. By deciding how we engage with thoughts, whether they have validity or not, and being able to watch them drift by, we can extinguish negative thoughts before they impact our emotions and behaviours. -- Follow The Dysregulated Podcast : Instagram – @elliot.t.waters...

In this episode I re-live one of my hardest bouts with mental illness. Every day was a war, and it took a few unfortunate events for me to decide a trip up to the hospital was needed to gain some allies in my battle. I dive into the discharge papers from the psychiatrist which gives a holistic view of how I was presenting during this time. I didn't come away from the hospital with a magic pil...

The sixth instalment of the Fortnightly Check-In series. In this episode I tackle daytime sleepiness and the possible role SSRI's are having in causing somnolence. I also investigate a new medication I have been prescribed for my anxiety disorders, Lyrica (Pregabalin). Further, I have successfully weaned myself off one of my antipsychotic medications and I explain why this is a very good idea...

I’m sick! I've been struck down with a cold and as a result my mental health has rapidly deteriorated. Many view mental health as being confined to the mind, but as I illustrate with great difficulty (in between gasps for air), that just isn't the case. Whatever virus I have picked up is playing havoc with my mood and for a variety of reasons. But I can't blame all of my woes on bei...

Sertraline (Zoloft), Black Dog Institute presentations and camping. How is mental illness affecting me right....now? The next instalment of the Fortnightly Check-In series has it all! -- Follow The Dysregulated Podcast : Instagram – @elliot.t.waters Facebook – The Dysregulated Podcast YouTube – The Dysregulated Podcast (Official Channel) Created by Elliot Waters — Inspired by lived experience . Me...

Part 2 of the Left vs Right Brain series. In this episode I introduce two therapies which have a focus towards left brain processes and behaviours: CBT & DBT. I also put forward the current state of play with therapeutic approaches and offer some possible ways to improve the therapeutic relationship and course of therapy. -- Follow The Dysregulated Podcast : Instagram – @elliot.t.waters Facebo...

In this episode I discuss how things have been over the last few weeks: an increase in anxiety, new medications and an intense loss of capacity. Although I have been in the wars a bit lately I'm not about to surrender to the enemy! -- Follow The Dysregulated Podcast : Instagram – @elliot.t.waters Facebook – The Dysregulated Podcast YouTube – The Dysregulated Podcast (Official Channel) Created...

The next instalment of the "My Journal" series looks at two of my journal entries during a mental health crisis. On this occasion I made the decision to go to hospital, to try and regain a sense of hope around my predicament. The first journal entry was written the day before going to hospital and the second the day after. This offers a unique insight into the influence mental health pro...

This episode I delve into what it's like to assume, create and hold onto social rejection. None of us enjoy the feeling of rejection, but for some (like me) it can prove a huge barrier to improving one's quality of life and interpersonal relationships. This is especially true when logic is hard to come by in the face of perceived, but not necessarily founded, social disappointment.  -- F...

This week is all about mandatory isolation and Covid! And that means plenty of podcast episodes, because what else is there to do? Yet, this week a few goals were ticked off the list, among them my first consultation with my new Psychologist! So far so good.....I think. -- Follow The Dysregulated Podcast : Instagram – @elliot.t.waters Facebook – The Dysregulated Podcast YouTube – The Dysregulated...

In this episode I have a look at what it means when psychiatric illnesses are deemed, "treatment resistant".  Although we don't want to find ourselves in the situation where the tried and true therapeutic approaches aren't working, the good news is this is not uncommon and there are ways out of the treatment resistant zone. Novel treatments and ever evolving research show us th...

This episode I explore how I am feeling....right now. After all, it is the present that really matters, right? Or so they say anyway. This is the first of the 'Check In' series which offers listeners genuine, real-time insight into what it is like living with multiple mental illnesses. -- Follow The Dysregulated Podcast : Instagram – @elliot.t.waters Facebook – The Dysregulated Podcast Y...