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Inside Schizophrenia

Inside Schizophrenia

By: Healthline Media
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 Featuring engaging conversations and insightful interviews covering a wide range of topics including caregiving, family dynamics, and getting help for schizophrenia. Hosted by Rachel Star Withers, who lives with schizophrenia. Inside Schizophrenia brings firsthand experiences from individuals with schizophrenia, family members, caregivers, and medical experts, aiming to foster a deeper understanding of schizophrenia, shed light on its impact, and develop strategies for managing this serious mental illness. Co-hosted by Gabe Howard, new episodes are released on the third Wednesday of every month.374467 Copyright 2019-2024 Psych Central/Healthline Media. All rights reserved. Hygiene & Healthy Living Physical Illness & Disease Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • Redefining Recovery in Schizophrenia

    Redefining Recovery in Schizophrenia
    Jan 21 2026
    For decades, the narrative surrounding schizophrenia has focused almost exclusively on controlling symptoms. But with no cure, can someone actually get better? Recovery in the context of schizophrenia isn’t about the absence of symptoms. It’s a deeply personal process — one that centers on restoring hope, self-determination, and a meaningful life, even when hallucinations, delusions, and setbacks continue to exist. In this episode, host Rachel Star Withers, who lives openly with schizophrenia, and co-host Gabe Howard explore what recovery really means for people with serious mental illness. From clinical symptom remission and functional abilities to redefining purpose and identity, they unpack how recovery can look — and why it rarely fits the “back to normal” expectation held by loved ones and society. Later in the episode, Dr. Mark Ragins, who is a pioneer and leading voice in person-centered, recovery-based psychiatry, joins the conversation. Listener takeaways why people — not illness — should be at the center of treatment how recovery can include setbacks and still be real progress how the psychosis triangle explains both breakdown and healing how relationships can stabilize psychosis even when symptoms persist Listen now as this episode challenges outdated ideas of recovery, validating lived experience and showing how a meaningful life is possible with schizophrenia, symptoms and all. Our guest, Mark Ragins, MD, has been a psychiatrist for 40 years, working in community mental health centers, as the Medical Director for 27 years at the Mental Health America Village in Long Beach, California, an award-winning model of recovery-based mental health services, as the students’ psychiatrist at Cal State Long Beach, and on street medicine teams working with homeless people on the streets throughout LA county. His book, “Journeys Beyond the Frontier: A Rebellious Guide to Psychosis and Other Extraordinary Experiences,” is based on true stories of working with some of the most underserved and difficult-to-engage people in our community. Countless people have come to experience the work being done at the Village firsthand and Mark has given hundreds of presentations and lectures to wide-ranging audiences nationally and internationally. He is one of the true pioneers and leaders of person-centered, recovery-based psychiatry. Many of his writings are posted online at markragins.com, including his short book A Road to Recovery. He was also featured in Steve Lopez’s book The Soloist. Over the years, Mark has won a number of awards, including from the American Psychiatric Association, the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, NAMI, and Mental Health Advocacy Services. Our host, Rachel Star Withers, (Link: www.rachelstarlive.com) is an entertainer, international speaker, video producer, and schizophrenic. She has appeared on MTV’s Ridiculousness, TruTV, NBC’s America’s Got Talent, Marvel's Black Panther, TUBI’s #shockfight, Goliath: Playing with Reality, and is the host of the HealthLine podcast “Inside Schizophrenia”. She grew up seeing monsters, hearing people in the walls, and having intense urges to hurt herself. Rachel creates videos documenting her schizophrenia, ways to manage, and letting others like her know they are not alone and can still live an amazing life. She has created a kid’s mental health comic line, The Adventures of ____. (Learn more at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Fearless-Unstoppable-Light-Ambitious/dp/B0FHWK4ZHS ) Fun Fact: She has wrestled alligators. Our cohost, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. To learn more about Gabe, please visit his website, gabehoward.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    47 mins
  • Inside Your First Psych Evaluation for Schizophrenia

    Inside Your First Psych Evaluation for Schizophrenia
    Dec 17 2025
    Many people manage symptoms of serious mental illness but hesitate to seek help. Fear, embarrassment, and uncertainty about what actually happens during a psychological assessment can keep someone from taking that crucial first step. In this episode, host Rachel Star Withers (who lives with schizophrenia) undergoes an initial psych evaluation with psychologist Dr. Aaron Brinen to show you exactly what the process looks like for someone experiencing symptoms of schizophrenia. Their conversation demystifies the assessment, removes fear from the unknown, and helps you understand what professionals are really looking for. Dr. Aaron P. Brinen, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice who uses evidence-based treatments to support people living with serious mental health conditions. He is the co-developer of Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R) and trains clinicians worldwide. Dr. Brinen is also the author of the new book Living Well With Psychosis. Our guest, Dr. Aaron P. Brinen, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice, where he employs evidence-based treatments to help people recover from serious mental health conditions. He is also Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Brinen is a co-developer of recovery-oriented cognitive therapy (CT-R), and has been active in adapting CT-R for different settings and training therapists from around the world. Our host, Rachel Star Withers, (Link: www.rachelstarlive.com) is an entertainer, international speaker, video producer, and schizophrenic. She has appeared on MTV’s Ridiculousness, TruTV, NBC’s America’s Got Talent, Marvel's Black Panther, TUBI’s #shockfight, Goliath: Playing with Reality, and is the host of the HealthLine podcast “Inside Schizophrenia”. She grew up seeing monsters, hearing people in the walls, and having intense urges to hurt herself. Rachel creates videos documenting her schizophrenia, ways to manage, and letting others like her know they are not alone and can still live an amazing life. She has created a kid’s mental health comic line, The Adventures of ____. (Learn more at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Fearless-Unstoppable-Light-Ambitious/dp/B0FHWK4ZHS ) Fun Fact: She has wrestled alligators. Our cohost, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. He also hosts the twice Webby honored podcast, Inside Bipolar, with Dr. Nicole Washington. To learn more about Gabe, please visit his website, gabehoward.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 mins
  • AI Therapy and Schizophrenia: What’s Possible (and What’s Not)

    AI Therapy and Schizophrenia: What’s Possible (and What’s Not)
    Nov 19 2025
    The integration of artificial intelligence, AI, in mental healthcare holds promise for enhancing treatments, diagnosing, personalizing care, and more. An emerging new use of AI is in therapy, but is it ready for schizophrenia? In today’s episode, host Rachel Star Withers, a diagnosed schizophrenic, and co-host Gabe Howard are going to explore the benefits and dangers of AI therapy in schizophrenia care. Our guest is Dr. Nick Haber. Dr. Haber is a researcher and assistant professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. His research group develops artificial intelligence systems meant to mimic and model the ways that people learn in early life, exploring their environments through play, social interaction, and curiosity. He is the senior author of a new study about exploring the dangers of AI in mental healthcare. Our guest, Nick Haber, is an Assistant Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, and by courtesy, Computer Science. After receiving his PhD in mathematics on Partial Differential Equation theory, he worked on Sension, a company that applied computer vision to online education. He then co-founded the Autism Glass Project at Stanford, a research effort that employs wearable technology and computer vision in a tool for children with autism. Aside from such work on learning and therapeutic tools, he and his research group develop artificial intelligence systems meant to mimic and model the ways people learn early in life, exploring their environments through play, social interaction, and curiosity. Our host, Rachel Star Withers, (Link: www.rachelstarlive.com) is an entertainer, international speaker, video producer, and schizophrenic. She has appeared on MTV’s Ridiculousness, TruTV, NBC’s America’s Got Talent, Marvel's Black Panther, TUBI’s #shockfight, Goliath: Playing with Reality, and is the host of the HealthLine podcast “Inside Schizophrenia”. She grew up seeing monsters, hearing people in the walls, and having intense urges to hurt herself. Rachel creates videos documenting her schizophrenia, ways to manage, and letting others like her know they are not alone and can still live an amazing life. She has created a kid’s mental health comic line, The Adventures of ____. (Learn more at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Fearless-Unstoppable-Light-Ambitious/dp/B0FHWK4ZHS ) Fun Fact: She has wrestled alligators. Our cohost, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. He also hosts the twice Webby honored podcast, Inside Bipolar, with Dr. Nicole Washington. To learn more about Gabe, please visit his website, gabehoward.com. Please share this episode and podcast with anyone who could benefit. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    45 mins
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