Let’s Talk About Self-Harm - A Paediatrician’s Story

Joanna is a hypnotherapist, medium, quantum channeller, and a mother. Growing up, Joanna felt lonely and misunderstood. She self-harmed and ran away from home hoping her parents would notice her, to simply love her. Joanna talks about how her refuge was her connection to the spiritual world which gave her solace when her mother walked away leaving Joanna, her brother and her father on their own. After three years, she reconciled with her mother and they were able to rebuilt their relationship and become close. In this episode, Joanna and I talked about her struggles growing up as a teenager of parents who didn’t know how to show her love. We talked about believing in a force greater than ourselves, receiving guidance and how to accept yourself as you are.

I last interviewed Richard in December 2021 when we were just emerging from the Covid-lock downs and now 3 years later, he’s returned to my podcast to talk to me about the latest what the latest research on substance misuse tells us. Richard is a retired addictions counsellor and has worked in treatment clinics with young people for many years. He describes the early warning signs parents need to look out for, how to have conversations with your child before they reach puberty, how the brain works and the negative effects of alcohol, drugs and vaping on the developing brain. This episode is for parents who want to take a more preventative approach to these issues by equipping themselves with the knowledge and tools necessary to ensure that their child stays safe. Listen now and enjoy!

In this episode, I speak to Thomas about neurodiversity and mental health. Thomas runs creative storytelling workshops for vulnerable people with disabilities, struggling with their mental health and those on the neurodiversity spectrum in a sensory-friendly environment. We spoke about the importance of creating inclusive communities where people who are perceived different don’t feel marginalised. I hope you enjoy the conversation!

In today’s episode, Maureen tells me why she’s so passionate about helping other parents after one of her daughters was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at a young age after an earlier diagnosis several years before of neuroblastoma, a form of cancer.

My conversation with Wayne covered so many interesting aspects about self-harm, trauma, suicide, the effects of Covid on the younger generation and why parents shouldn’t make their child’s mental health about themselves so that they can provide the best possible support. I hope you enjoy this episode and if you do, then please leave a comment below.

In my latest interview with Susan Schwartz, we talked about her latest book: Imposter Syndrome and The As-If Personality. We discussed the importance of being real and what that actually means in the world of social media, and how do we navigate our way through the confusion to find ourselves again. No matter how successful a person might be, it seems that a large majority of us would confess to feeling like a fraud. But for some people, their fear is so great that they’re unable to bring their true selves forward and resign themselves to living a lie. I hope you will enjoy this episode as much as I did.

Ana has devised a very successful parenting programme that walks parents through how to help and support their teen through depression and mental health issues. Ana is a trained psychologist who struggled with her own mental health and health issues and in this episode, we talked about her desire to help parents and teenagers, her methodology and her philosophy on life. Ana teaches parents what she calls, The Game of Life. Her belief is that if we, as parents, work through her guided steps with our teens to help get them out of depression and self-harm by applying the steps to ourselves first and then applying them to our teens, the results can be long-lasting. Find out more about the amazing work Ana does at www.betteraskana.com with free offers and content for parents and teens.

In my second interview with Richard, we wanted to look at how the pandemic had affected young people in regards to their drug and alcohol use, and how that has impacted the rise in mental health illnesses we are witnessing across the globe. We also talked about the differences in the ways that girls and boys misuse substances and how we as parents and adults should start a conversation with them about the dangers and long-term effects of drug use on the developing brain.

I was honoured and delighted when Harshil reached out to me and asked if we could do a follow up podcast interview on his journey with self-harm and depression. It’s a year ago since we recorded our first conversation and now, at 16, Harshil has matured into a lovely, well-rounded and intelligent young man grappling with the complexities of like just like all of us.  Harshil's story gives us hope because he openly discusses his relapses into self-harm and how he can still get triggered, but has learned how to deal with those events better. He’s surrounded by a loving, supportive network of family and friends, and realises how fortunate he is to have those people in his life.  Let me know your thoughts and please share this episode with someone who might need to hear Harshil’s story.

The earlier parents can start a conversation with their child about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and it's effects on the developing brain, the better. That's why I was so pleased to interview Richard Capriola, an addiction counsellor, who has just written a book called "The Addicted Child". In this episode we discuss how to spot signs of addiction, how to have a conversation with our teen about substance misuse and how to get help for them and also where, as a parent, you can look for support. Richard also created a workbook specially for parents to accompany the book which has exercises and tips on addictions as well as self-harm. It's a revealing conversation about how we can help our children overcome an addiction with the right tools, advice and support from family and friends. More information on Richard's book can be found at helptheaddictedchild.com. If you have a story you would like to share or need support, then get in touch with me [email protected].