What happens when someone living with a serious mental illness truly believes they are not ill?

 

In this episode of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-examined, we explore anosognosia, a neurological symptom that affects a person’s ability to recognize their own illness. Host Faydra Aldridge introduces conversations with clinical psychologist Dr. Xavier Amador, author of I’m Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help, and documentary filmmaker Frank Kosa. Together, they unpack what anosognosia really is, why it’s often misunderstood, and how approaches like the LEAP method can help families and clinicians build trust and support recovery.

 

Timecodes:

(1:32) What is the LEAP method – techniques to support people with psychosis

(3:18) How anosognosia affects caregivers and people living with psychosis
(4:20) Why anosognosia is a neurocognitive impairment, not denial
(5:23) Denial vs. anosognosia: how to tell the difference in mental health
(9:22) Why caregivers should focus on listening and partnership
(13:07) LEAP partnership insights: encouragement for supporting loved ones
(17:06) The most harmful myths about anosognosia
(18:56) The origin of the Brain Stories podcast
(23:00) Does understanding mental illness improve the lives of those affected?






Resources:

Brain Stories podcast 

What happens when someone living with a serious mental illness truly believes they are not ill?
&nbsp;
In this episode of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-examined, we explore anosognosia, a neurological symptom that affects a person&rsquo;s ability to recognize their own illness. Host Faydra Aldridge introduces conversations with clinical psychologist Dr. Xavier Amador, author of I&rsquo;m Not Sick, I Don&rsquo;t Need Help, and documentary filmmaker Frank Kosa. Together, they unpack what anosognosia really is, why it&rsquo;s often misunderstood, and how approaches like the LEAP method can help families and clinicians build trust and support recovery.
&nbsp;
Timecodes:
(1:32) What is the LEAP method &ndash; techniques to support people with psychosis
(3:18) How anosognosia affects caregivers and people living with psychosis (4:20) Why anosognosia is a neurocognitive impairment, not denial (5:23) Denial vs. anosognosia: how to tell the difference in mental health (9:22) Why caregivers should focus on listening and partnership (13:07) LEAP partnership insights: encouragement for supporting loved ones (17:06) The most harmful myths about anosognosia (18:56) The origin of the Brain Stories podcast (23:00) Does understanding mental illness improve the lives of those affected?
 
Resources:
<a href="https://brainstoriesproductions.com/">Brain Stories podcast </a>

"Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined" is a groundbreaking podcast by the British Columbia Schizophrenia Society (BCSS) and supporting partners. Host Faydra Aldridge, CEO of BCSS, speaks with medical experts, families, and people with lived experience of mental illness to dispel myths and get to the truth. This podcast is for anyone whose life is touched by mental illness.

"Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined" is a groundbreaking podcast by the British Columbia Schizophrenia Society (BCSS) and supporting partners. Host Faydra Aldridge, CEO of BCSS, speaks with medical experts, families, and people with lived experience of mental illness to dispel myths and get to the truth. This podcast is for anyone whose life is touched by mental illness.

Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined

"Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined" is a groundbreaking podcast by the British Columbia Schizophrenia Society (BCSS) and supporting partners. Host Faydra Aldridge, CEO of BCSS, speaks with medical experts, families, and people with lived experience of mental illness to dispel myths and get to the truth. This podcast is for anyone whose life is touched by mental illness. 

"Look Again: Mental Illness Re-Examined" is a groundbreaking podcast by the British Columbia Schizophrenia Society (BCSS) and supporting partners. Host Faydra Aldridge, CEO of BCSS, speaks with medical experts, families, and people with lived experience of mental illness to dispel myths and get to the truth. This podcast is for anyone whose life is touched by mental illness.&nbsp;

S6E3 Look Again Podcast - Anosognosia: When the brain masks the illness

Look Again is excited to present this candid conversation from our friends at Brain Stories, a documentary series that captures stories of those living with a mental illness, and the people who support them.

In this episode, we hear from Xavier, who was a senior in college when he got a panicked call from his brother. This was his closest brother, his older brother whom he deeply admired, and he was telling Xavier that he had killed their dad. It would take Xavier nearly a decade to truly repair his relationship with his brother, though not for the reasons you would expect. But in the process, what he discovered would change the entire approach to schizophrenia for him, and then millions of others. 

Learn more about Dr. Amador and the LEAP approach at www.LeapInstitute.org

Find out more about this episode and the Brain Stories documentary series at www.BrainStoriesProductions.com.

This show is a copyright of Brain Stories Productions and the SamoBé Corporation. The use of this episode or any of its content in any form or way for Artificial Intelligence, its development or training is copyright infringement, and expressly prohibited without prior written agreement.

Look Again is excited to present this candid conversation from our friends at Brain Stories, a documentary series that captures stories of those living with a mental illness, and the people who support them.
In this episode, we hear from Xavier, who was a senior in college when he got a panicked call from his brother. This was his closest brother, his older brother whom he deeply admired, and he was telling Xavier that he had killed their dad. It would take Xavier nearly a decade to truly repair his relationship with his brother, though not for the reasons you would expect. But in the process, what he discovered would change the entire approach to schizophrenia for him, and then millions of others.&nbsp;
Learn more about Dr. Amador and the LEAP approach at www.LeapInstitute.org
Find out more about this episode and the Brain Stories documentary series at <a href="http://www.brainstoriesproductions.com">www.BrainStoriesProductions.com</a>.
This show is a copyright of Brain Stories Productions and the SamoB&eacute; Corporation. The use of this episode or any of its content in any form or way for Artificial Intelligence, its development or training is copyright infringement, and expressly prohibited without prior written agreement.

FEED DROP: Dr. Xavier Amador: Insight, Love & LEAP (from Brain Stories)

When someone is admitted to hospital for a mental health crisis, families are often told: “We can’t share patient information.” But is privacy legislation really the barrier it’s made out to be? 

In this episode of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-examined, we explore the tension between confidentiality and family involvement in care, and why culture, not the law, may be keeping loved ones in the dark. 

Host Faydra Aldridge is joined by Monica, a parent who shares her lived experience navigating the system, and psychiatrist Dr. Richard O’Reilly, who unpacks what Canadian privacy laws actually allow, and why they’re so often misunderstood. It’s a candid conversation about advocacy, accountability, and the vital role families can play in recovery.

Timecodes:
(01:05) Legal representation and challenges accessing medical information
(02:40) Resilience, compassion, and vulnerability during mental illness
(04:01) Being excluded from care during early hospitalizations
(06:44) Gaps in medical records and sharing collateral information
(08:10) Limits of Section 9 and Section 7 representation agreements
(10:00) Family’s role in preventing adverse medication reactions
(12:27) Anosognosia and early intervention challenges
(14:04) Capacity assessment issues in Section 9 agreements
(16:23) Recommendations for improving the mental health system
(18:16) Experiences of involuntary hospitalization and need for support
(21:47) Gaps between families and care teams
(23:18) Expert explains privacy laws and clinician practices
(29:42) Family involvement improves patient outcomes
(30:11) Solutions: training, program inclusion, and fighting stigma

Resources:
- Full video from FASMI and Dr O'Rielly 

When someone is admitted to hospital for a mental health crisis, families are often told: &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t share patient information.&rdquo; But is privacy legislation really the barrier it&rsquo;s made out to be? In this episode of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-examined, we explore the tension between confidentiality and family involvement in care, and why culture, not the law, may be keeping loved ones in the dark. Host Faydra Aldridge is joined by Monica, a parent who shares her lived experience navigating the system, and psychiatrist Dr. Richard O&rsquo;Reilly, who unpacks what Canadian privacy laws actually allow, and why they&rsquo;re so often misunderstood. It&rsquo;s a candid conversation about advocacy, accountability, and the vital role families can play in recovery. Timecodes: (01:05) Legal representation and challenges accessing medical information (02:40) Resilience, compassion, and vulnerability during mental illness (04:01) Being excluded from care during early hospitalizations (06:44) Gaps in medical records and sharing collateral information (08:10) Limits of Section 9 and Section 7 representation agreements (10:00) Family&rsquo;s role in preventing adverse medication reactions (12:27) Anosognosia and early intervention challenges (14:04) Capacity assessment issues in Section 9 agreements (16:23) Recommendations for improving the mental health system (18:16) Experiences of involuntary hospitalization and need for support (21:47) Gaps between families and care teams (23:18) Expert explains privacy laws and clinician practices (29:42) Family involvement improves patient outcomes (30:11) Solutions: training, program inclusion, and fighting stigma Resources: - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJxODwt7ojg">Full video from FASMI and Dr O'Rielly </a>

Who Needs to Know? The Patient-Privacy Paradox

In this episode of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-examined, we explore recovery beyond medical definitions and diagnoses. Host Faydra Aldridge introduces a new era of the podcast which now available in both audio and video by bringing listeners face-to-face with two powerful stories. 

Matthew shares his decades-long journey to remission, the role medication and reflective self-work have played in his life, and how purpose fuels his advocacy through Mind Aid. Abigail offers a different path, one that includes sobriety, shifting diagnoses, daily self-care, and learning to live well while still managing symptoms. 

Together, their stories challenge stigma and remind us that recovery isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s personal, evolving, and deeply human.

Timecodes:
(01:05) What recovery really means (not what you think)
(03:08) The moment schizophrenia hit
(05:20) The medication that changed everything
(07:30) The day Matthew's symptoms suddenly stopped
(08:40) Recovery vs cure 
(10:10) Why Matthew refuses to stop medication
(12:49) “You still get to write your story”
(14:03) Breaking the stigma around schizophrenia
(15:20) What recovery really looks like
(16:14) 27 months sober: Abigail’s story
(17:30) Years of misdiagnosis
(18:45) What schizophrenia actually feels like
(20:00) The daily habits that keep Abigail stable
(21:34) Why recovery is still possible

In this episode of Look Again: Mental Illness Re-examined, we explore recovery beyond medical definitions and diagnoses. Host Faydra Aldridge introduces a new era of the podcast which now available in both audio and video by bringing listeners face-to-face with two powerful stories. Matthew shares his decades-long journey to remission, the role medication and reflective self-work have played in his life, and how purpose fuels his advocacy through Mind Aid. Abigail offers a different path, one that includes sobriety, shifting diagnoses, daily self-care, and learning to live well while still managing symptoms. Together, their stories challenge stigma and remind us that recovery isn&rsquo;t one-size-fits-all. It&rsquo;s personal, evolving, and deeply human. Timecodes: (01:05) What recovery really means (not what you think) (03:08) The moment schizophrenia hit (05:20) The medication that changed everything (07:30) The day Matthew's symptoms suddenly stopped (08:40) Recovery vs cure (10:10) Why Matthew refuses to stop medication (12:49) &ldquo;You still get to write your story&rdquo; (14:03) Breaking the stigma around schizophrenia (15:20) What recovery really looks like (16:14) 27 months sober: Abigail&rsquo;s story (17:30) Years of misdiagnosis (18:45) What schizophrenia actually feels like (20:00) The daily habits that keep Abigail stable (21:34) Why recovery is still possible

S6E3 Look Again Podcast - Anosognosia: When the brain masks the illness

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