Therapy vs. the World with Joe Nucci Luminary

Nancy McWilliams is a legend in the field of mental health. Joe and Nancy discuss a few mental health buzzwords ("abuse," "psychotic," "schizophrenic") that, through overuse and misuse, have lost their meaning. They also discuss whether "mommy issues" or "daddy issues" are real, if/how Nancy and Joe are able to turn off their therapist brains when hanging out with friends, and exciting developments in attachment and mother-infant research.

Can psychoanalysis and psychological development actually be chronicled in a Disney Movie about an adventuring princess? Hear Joe’s take. If you have not seen the movie, you’ll want to see it after listening to this episode. And if you’ve seen it before, you’re probably going to want to see it again. 

Clinical psychologist and researcher Darby Saxbe, of the University of Southern California recently penned a fascinating New York Times op-ed Op Ed called "This is Not How to Help a Depressed Teenager." Like Joe, she has concerns about the pathologizing of normal problems of living that so many people in our culture do these days--particulary teenagers, who are highly tuned into the people around them. ("Everyone's got a mental health problem, so I must have one, too," is a common calculus many teens and adults make.) Understanding the biological underpinnings of social relationships is one of Professor Saxbe's prime focus areas. She and Joe dive into all of it, making for an episode that is rich with illuminating dialogue about mental health and mental health culture--regardless of whether or not you know a teenager.

How can we psychologically and philosophically understand the political climate regarding the Israel-Hamas War? Joe shares about his experience studying and working in politics, and combines his knowledge of personality psychology to set the groundwork for an ongoing exploration of mental health and political identity in a rapidly changing world.

Dr. Salya Namazi is an expert on assessing and diagnosing "nuerodivergency." She speaks with Joe about ADHD, autism, and about what she thinks of today's discussions concerning nuerodivergency in society at large. Joe shares his experiences of learning how to navigate in his own ADHD.

Dr. Nicholas Haslam and Joe discuss the process by which harm-related topics can sometimes start to be defined more expansively, and the implications that expansion has on how we talk and think about mental health.