Katie R. Dale's Mental Health Story: Living Beyond Crazy
Manage episode 480283343 series 3477439
Katie R. Dale shares her journey from hospital patient to mental health author and advocate, offering insights into living with bipolar disorder type 1 with psychotic features and how writing became her path to healing and helping others.
• Started blogging in 2014 after hospitalization as self-therapy before expanding into professional advocacy
• Wrote memoir "But Deliver Me From Crazy" chronicling her experiences from teen years through mid-twenties
• Found writing helped process intense memories of psychosis and mania with "crystal clear" recall
• Recommends OARS approach for supporting loved ones: Open questions, Affirm feelings, Reflect understanding, Summarize conversations
• Shares practical coping strategies including 15-minute time management blocks and tactile comfort objects
• Emphasizes importance of medication (calls hers "magic pill") while noting finding the right one often requires patience
• Currently working on faith-based books exploring the distinction between psychotic voices and spiritual experiences
• Maintains hope is possible despite invisible illness through proper treatment, support systems and faith
Resources available at katierdalecom/resources including downloadable support guides and connections to organizations like National Shattering Silence Coalition, Treatment Advocacy Center, and Fresh Hope for Mental Health.
https://tonymantor.com
https://Facebook.com/tonymantor
https://instagram.com/tonymantor
https://twitter.com/tonymantor
https://youtube.com/tonymantormusic
intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild
Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)
Chapters
1. Introduction to Why Not Me? Podcast (00:00:00)
2. Meet Katie Dale: Author & Mental Health Advocate (00:01:38)
3. Writing Through Mental Illness (00:04:26)
4. Finding Support Systems & Resources (00:08:19)
5. Supporting Someone Through Crisis (00:13:39)
6. Faith, Voices & Future Projects (00:19:27)
7. Final Thoughts & Finding Hope (00:25:24)
120 episodes