Schiz and Giggles

This week on the podcast, Kody and Kit are joined by Maye Jepson! Maye is the mother to a son living with schizoaffective disorder, and has a lot to say about the experience of being not a caregiver, but something she calld a “trust partner”. And she dives into just what that means in this episode. Maye has a lot of insight into what it’s like caring for someone with a severe mental illness, good and bad, so join Kody and Kit AND Maye as they all talk about it!Follow Maye!Instagram: mayejepsonFollow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platformsYouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcastWe are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handleEmail: schizandgiggles@gmail.comFollow Kody!YouTube: @schizophrenichippieTikTok, Instagram, Facebook: schizophrenichippieFollow Kit!YouTube: @schizokitzoInstagram, TikTok, Facebook: schizokitzo#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #podcast #caregiver

This week on the podcast, Kody and Kit are joined by Kaelynn Partlow: a prominent autism advocate and writer! She’s the author of Life on the Bridge —out now wherever you buy books!— and she is known for appearing in season one of Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum. Kaelynn is a phenomenal advocate, educating millions, and we are so excited to have her on the show this week!Enjoy the episode, and let us know what you think!Follow Kaelynn!Instagram: kaelynnvpOther Links to buy her book and more: https://linktr.ee/kaelynn_vpFollow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platformsYouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcastWe are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handleEmail: schizandgiggles@gmail.comFollow Kody!YouTube: @schizophrenichippieTikTok, Instagram, Facebook: schizophrenichippieFollow Kit!YouTube: @schizokitzoInstagram, TikTok, Facebook: schizokitzo#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #autism #mentalhealthadvocate #podcast

In the last few years, using the ketogenic way of eating as a metabolic therapy to treat mental health conditions like schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder has become more common. However, recent events have caused keto to be at the forefront, more so than in the past. So, this week on the podcast, Kody and Kit tackled keto and current events. They talk science, opinion, and what we know when it comes to this stuff.Enjoy and maybe… tell us what you think :)Sources and other studies of interest:Danan, A., Westman, E. C., Saslow, L. R., & Ede, G. (2022). The Ketogenic Diet for Refractory Mental Illness: A Retrospective Analysis of 31 Inpatients. Frontiers in psychiatry, 13, 951376.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.95...Needham, N., Campbell, I. H., Grossi, H., Kamenska, I., Rigby, B. P., Simpson, S. A., McIntosh, E., Bahuguna, P., Meadowcroft, B., Creasy, F., Mitchell-Grigorjeva, M., Norrie, J., Thompson, G., Gibbs, M. C., McLellan, A., Fisher, C., Moses, T., Burgess, K., Brown, R., Thrippleton, M. J., … Smith, D. J. (2023). Pilot study of a ketogenic diet in bipolar disorder. BJPsych open, 9(6), e176.https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2023.568Palmer, C. M. (2022). Brain energy: A revolutionary breakthrough in understanding mental health--and improving treatment for anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and more. BenBella Books, Inc.Sethi, S., Wakeham, D., Ketter, T., Hooshmand, F., Bjornstad, J., Richards, B., Westman, E., Krauss, R. M., & Saslow, L. (2024). Ketogenic Diet Intervention on Metabolic and Psychiatric Health in Bipolar and Schizophrenia: A Pilot Trial. Psychiatry research, 335, 115866.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.20...Tillery, E. E., Ellis, K. D., Threatt, T. B., Reyes, H. A., Plummer, C. S., & Barney, L. R. (2021). The use of the ketogenic diet in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. The mental health clinician, 11(3), 211–219.https://doi.org/10.9740/mhc.2021.05.211ALL Current Keto Clinical Trials Related to Mental Health Conditions:https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?con...A review of Brain Energy that points out a lot of its shortcomings:https://www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/d...Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platformsYouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcastWe are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handleEmail: schizandgiggles@gmail.comFollow Kody!YouTube: @schizophrenichippieTikTok, Instagram, Facebook: schizophrenichippieFollow Kit!YouTube: @schizokitzoInstagram, TikTok, Facebook: schizokitzo#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #keto

Medication and therapy are mainstay for mental health conditions, especially for those on the schizophrenia spectrum. But did you know there are other treatment options out there? This week on the podcast, Kody and Kit address just that. They talk about specialized therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy, but also touch on one more: EMDR.It’s a fun episode. Enjoy it and let us know what you think!Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platformsYouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcastWe are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handleEmail: schizandgiggles@gmail.comFollow Kody!YouTube: @schizophrenichippieTikTok, Instagram, Facebook: schizophrenichippieFollow Kit!YouTube: @schizokitzoInstagram, TikTok, Facebook: schizokitzo#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #podcast #cbt #dbt #emdr

Many people know that psychotic episodes exist, but how about the fact that they have not one, not two, but three phases to them? This week on the podcast, Kody and Kit talk about the different phases of their psychotic breaks; how it started, how it went, and how it ended. With the idea to educate others about how psychosis is far more dynamic than people often think it is.Kody lives with schizophrenia and Kit lives with schizoaffective disorder and both hosts have a lot to say.YouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcastWe are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handle

This week on the podcast, Kody and Kit talk about celebrities with mental illnesses and how they advocate for their conditions. Kody speaks about celebrities with schizophrenia and Kit talks about ones with schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder. Of course, some people from history are included! This was a fun episode to film, and if you liked it, let us know what you think!Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platformsYouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcastWe are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handle Follow Kody!YouTube: @schizophrenichippieTikTok, Instagram, Facebook: schizophrenichippie Follow Kit!YouTube: @schizokitzoInstagram, TikTok, Facebook: schizokitzo#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #podcast

This week on the podcast, Kody and Kit are joined by Stephen Lathrop from Surviving Schizophrenia. Stephen was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 12 and it drastically altered the course of his life. However, he decided to become a mental health advocate and turn his experience with schizophrenia into something that could help people. Today we talk about his resilience, and how he copes with his condition, to show that someone can have childhood-onset schizophrenia and still live a great life!We hope you love this episode as much as we loved filming it!Follow Stephen!YouTube: @survivingschizophreniaInstagram: survivingschizophreniaFollow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platformsYouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcastWe are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handleEmail: schizandgiggles@gmail.comFollow Kody!YouTube: @schizophrenichippieTikTok, Instagram, Facebook: schizophrenichippieFollow Kit!YouTube: @schizokitzoInstagram, TikTok, Facebook: schizokitzo#schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #podcast

One thing that’s encouraged when it comes to mental illnesses—especially severe ones like schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder—is self-awareness. But did you know that self-awareness in this context can be both a blessing and a curse? So, this week on the podcast, Kody and Kit tackle this dialectic and what it means for each of them. This episode is about the balance when it comes to treating mental illness, and how maybe, just maybe, there’s a little loss there as well.Enjoy the episode and let us know what you think!YouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcast #schizophrenia #schizoaffective #mentalhealthdisorders #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #podcast #selfawareness

One tough thing about having a severe mental illness like schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder is that there… is an old version to mourn. Both Kody and Kit have things they miss when it comes to their disorders. Kody remembers very clearly a life before schizophrenia, and Kit remembers days when her symptoms were simpler and less severe. So, this week on the podcast, both list off a few things they miss, and do a deep dive on them. This is somewhat of a tough episode, but like all tough episodes, they are still important in showing all aspects of these complicated illnesses.If you liked this episode, let us know what you think, and if you too want to share something you miss as the result of your own disorder, let us know that too!

This week on the podcast, Kody and Kit tackle the latest research when it comes to schizophrenia: Llama antibodies being used to help cognition! That might sound confusing but researchers managed to restore cognitive function in schizophrenia mouse models using a super small antibody called a “nanobody” (which is NOT a robot!) that was derived from llamas! And that’s just part of it!So, enjoy the episode, and let us know what you think!Sources in this episode:Oosterlaken, M., Rogliardo, A., Lipina, T., Lafon, P. A., Tsitokana, M. E., Keck, M., Cahuzac, H., Prieu-Sérandon, P., Diem, S., Derieux, C., Camberlin, C., Lafont, C., Meyer, D., Chames, P., Vandermoere, F., Marin, P., Prézeau, L., Servent, D., Salahpour, A., Ramsey, A. J., … Rondard, P. (2025). Nanobody therapy rescues behavioural deficits of NMDA receptor hypofunction. Nature, 10.1038/s41586-025-09265-8. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09265-8Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platformsYouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcastWe are on Instagram and TikTok at the same handle

It's hard to talk about, but the effect someone with mental illness has on those around them can be difficult to say the least. It's complicated, and sometimes messy, but it's real. So, this week on the podcast, Kody and Kit tackle this topic: how their schizophrenia spectrum disorders has affected those around them. Once again, hard to talk about... but important to acknowledge. Enjoy the episode and let us know what you think! If you're new here, welcome to Schiz & Giggles, a weekly podcast hosted by mental health advocates Kody Green and Kit Wallis that focuses on all things mental health through lived experience, humor, and a hint of science! Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify: we are Schiz and Giggles on both platformsYouTube is @schizandgiggles for the video version of the podcast

It’s a pretty common activity to google a mental disorder if one is curious, diagnosed with one, or know someone with a condition. So, this week on the podcast, Kody and Kit tackle answering the most common questions about schizophrenia according to Google! This is a longer episode than usual, but a lot gets covered so enjoy it and tell us what you think!

College/University is a tough time for anyone, but it’s especially tough when mental illness is involved: specifically, schizophrenia spectrum disorders. So, this week on the podcast, Kody and Kit tackle each of their college experiences and the roles their disorders played. Kody speaks about how living with schizophrenia in college challenged him, and Kit discusses her battle with schizoaffective disorder and how it challenged her. Enjoy the show!