Katie R. Dale's Mental Health Story: Living Beyond Crazy

Welcome to Why Not Me the World? Podcast hosted by
Tony Mantor, broadcasting from Music City USA, Nashville, Tennessee. Join
us as our guests tell us their stories. Some will
make you laugh, some will make you cry. Real life
people who will inspire and show that you are not
alone in this world. Hopefully you gain more awareness, acceptance,
and a better understanding for autism around the world. Hi,
I'm Tony Mantor. Welcome to Why Not Me the World?
Humanity over Handcuffs the Silent Crisis special event. Joining us
today is Katie Rdale, an author and blogger who fearlessly
shares her journey in her memoir but Deliver Me from Crazy.
This immersive narrative traces her life from her junior year
through her mid twenties, offering a vivid account of a
young woman's encounters with the unseen, both mental and spiritual.
The book provides a raw, firsthand perspective on living with
bipolar disorder type one with psychotic features, weaving in lessons
she's learned from the inside out. It stands as a
powerful testament offering hope and stability to those grappling with
mental health challenges. It's a pleasure to have it here today.
Thanks for coming.
On, Thank you for having me Tony.
Oh, it's my pleasure if you would tell us a
little of your journey on how you became this author,
speaker and mental health advocate.
Pretty self proclaimed with I started blogging, Yes we could
start there. I began blogging for my own website and
blog back in like twenty fourteen, after I had gotten
out of the hospital and patient so I called myself
an advocate. Then got involved with some other kind of
outlets with BP magazine, going to an event with them,
and then it really has just snowballed. I guess with
my involvement with NSSC, National Shattering Science, Coolision and other
ministries and nonprofits. I think that's where I started the
advocate role. I also worked at clinically as a like
a social worker at an outpatient clinic in Missery.
So you mentioned in your background that you drew inspiration
to write about your journey. What's the story behind that.
When did you get the first idea and when did
you finish your book? What's been the response and how
has it been going since you finished it?
It probably started while I was in the hospital the
first time at sixteen. As I'm a naturally creative, gifted
person like that, I always loved to write and draw,
but channeling that even with that insight in the hospital
at sixteen, set telling the doctor sitting there in the
conference room when he's meeting with me, and you know,
what do you think about this place? He asked, I'm
going to write a book about this place, And so
I did, and just that kind of fulfill in my
dream to write, to publish a book and spread the
message of you know, this is real and it affects
people that have normal, healthy, happy lives or that come
from all different walks of life. And I think writing
it was cathartic the book and continues to be as
I write blog posts or articles. It just helps open
that area up to help other people'll see what it's
like to be going through an episode and that they
can identify maybe you know, okay, this is where she
got and how she got there, and gives them a
reasoning behind why we think the way we do.
Am in those dates, since you mentioned you're writing a
book based on your lived experience, how did that process
influence your thoughts as you put some of those moments
on paper that's.
An amazing Yeah, it's for whatever reason. I mean, I'm
sure it's neurological and psychological and all that, but for
whatever reason, I was able to capture these memories in
these states of mind like crystal clear almost, And they
were so intense, these events, in the episodes, in the
psychosis and the mania and the depression, that I could
not think about them. You know, I did have a
little bit of PTSD going on there, but it definitely
the capturing and writing and the memories just helped, not
reliving it, but interpreting the narrative, like what did I
go through? It was so crazy and so unreal, Like
how did I make sense of it? Well, that's how
me sense of it.
I wrote it out. Once you finished writing the book,
what were some of the responses that you were getting
in this particular situation writing your book is almost twofold one.
You have the lived experience. However, you're also writing it
for some of the people that might be going through
some of the things that you've gone through, which shows
people hope, because if you can get through it, so
can they. How have they reacted to your book since
you released it?
There was there has been good responses.
I think.
Because most people don't have the disorder, and I'm assuming
most people who read the book don't have the disorder,
it's it gives them an eye, eye opening look into
what it's like. Those who have the disorder, they've reached
out to me and said, oh my gosh, I've been
through so many similar circumstances. You're spot on with this,
like you tell it the way it is now. I
do wonder, because I actually just came out with the
audiobook a couple of weeks ago. I do wonder if
people are listening in and like, ooh, that's triggering, Like ooh,
that's this. It's a little bit sensitive in some places
talk of suicidality and spirituality. And I'm a fully open
book there literally and figuratively, so I do not put
a trigger warning in the book, and I do wonder
if people have been triggered to a degree. So that's
just a kind of a thought I've had since writing
it that I haven't had anybody come across with me saying, hey,
that was triggering, But at the same time, it is
something to know.
Sure, now you've mentioned two or three different things. What
was the diagnosis that you got that actually led you
to writing the book.
So my diagnosis is bipolar disorder type one, with the
mania mostly and with psychotic features.
So I had those.
Hallucinations, delusions, hearing voices, thinking and believing grandiose things. It
tied in with that mania.
While you was going through this, did you have a
support system that helped you get through it?
I did.
Yes.
My family, my parents, my husband, my brother, an extended family,
my aunt, cousins, people that I've known most of my
life were there for me. And without them, I don't
know why I'd be in the same place. So crucial.
Yeah, absolutely, I think what it does because yours is
such a success story in itself. Now you're writing books,
you're blogging, and people can see that. I think one
of the good things that's really coming from this you
got through it. Now you are in a position where
you can adplicate and help others. This way, they realize
that they are not alone.
Absolutely. Yeah, isolation in that state of mind, especially when
you can get into like antiseignotia where you don't realize
you're sick, like this another layer where you're like I'm
the only one and I don't even realize I'm it
like that can be debilitating on its own, but yet
for people to realize they're not alone. This is why
we don't take our medicine, and this is why we're
going through this because you have a diagnosis of an
illness in your brain and it happens and you didn't
do anything to cause it.
Do you get a chance to speak to some people
when they get out to attend some of your events,
They can give you some of the impressions that they
are going through and then tell you how that your
book is absolutely helping them.
I mean, I had people come up to me and say, oh,
my gosh, like the title of the book seem just
the title or the front of the book with a
cross and the pills and it says crazy across the front.
Because you know, they're like, oh, that's me, I'm crazy.
I could relate to that right off the bat. So
there's that piece of you know, it's an almost shock
value of like, hey, you know, we're all a little
bit crazy and weird. But at the same time, like
not everybody can relate to the bipolar psychosis. So I
hope to make it more understood so that people, if
they have somebody who they know, you know, family or
friend to them that develops it or has had it,
they have more answers to what and why.
Now, you mentioned that you had a truly great support system,
which everyone knows. It's very important in a person's life.
For those that might be listening to this, they may
be just starting to go through some of these things
that you've gone through. They might have a loved one
that is going through something very similar as well. Well,
what do you or could you tell them that gives
them a pathway to knowing that the future can be better?
Okay, so there are plenty of resources that I have compiled.
I offer a download on my on my website. There's
pretty much like a ten twelve page download. You can
print it out, fill it in, but it has vetted resources.
I can list a few like National Shattering Silence Coalition.
They're a nationwide US based nonprofit. They're raising awareness, they're
doing education pieces, care groups and support groups and things.
But also the other one is Treatment Advocacy Center, very
good resource for finding the support you need for like
an actual treatment program, assisted outpatient treatment program AOTS in
forty eight or fifty states. Right now, we're working on
Massachusetts and I think Connecticut those kind of programs. There's ccbhds,
a certifi community Behavioral health centers in most states. Those
are good programs for people, especially in the rural area
and then getting involved with I do come from a
faith background, so for those who have the faith background,
Piece Fresh Hope for Mental Health is a great support
group with evidence based research too that backs up what
they're doing with their practices. They have HOPE coaches. I
am one of those who got trained through them to
help others and really going into more of that. Let's
like Another one is care Ministry Hope Made Strong. They
do a summit every year online for mostly church leadership,
but anybody's welcome to join. I'm trying to think of
some other resources, but yeah, grabbing the game plan off
of my website at Katiardale dot com slash resources gives
you all that plus more. I've got lists, lists of
just ways you can get connected and find those pathways.
One common thread I've noticed in nearly everything, whether it's
mental health, autism, whatever it might be, that moment when
someone first learns their child, relative, or loved one has
a disorder again, whatever it might be, often feels like
stepping into the big unknown. They're left wondering how to
help and support them. You've pointed to all these resources
in places that can provide assistance, which is great, but
what about the day to day experience of living with
that person? How do you comfort and support them in
a way that doesn't trigger reaction but instead helps them
feel calm and settled. This way, they can start sorting
things out for themselves and realize that it's just a
pathway that they need to do so they can get
better and cope.
So let me give you an acronym to help remember
it by. This is basically in a nutshell. What it's
called is motivational interviewing, and we use that in the
clinician side, but it's also helpful for your loved one.
You start with acronym IS ors like oors for a boat,
so OH stands for open ended questions. Keep your questions what, how,
Stay away from why, but those open ended questions for
them to explore with you what they're going through, what
they're feeling, what they're thinking, what they're experiencing. Fear them
out as much as you can give them the space
and the time to explain a. The next letter in
the acronym is stands for our firm, so validate. You
do not have to agree, You do not have to
value judgment assign like that's good or that's bad, but
at least saying I hear you, I understand or that
must be hard. I can't imagine, but that's really hard,
right now, make them feel heard and understood through firming them.
And then our is reflections where you kind of summarize
what they said to you in your own words, paraphrase
back to them what they're feeling, thinking, going through so
that they know that you understand them to a degree
as best as you can, and then ask this pretty
similar reflections is summarize and giving them, you know, wrapping
up the conversation. Okay, so you must be going through
this xyz ur abc and just summarize, wrap it up
so that there's closure for that moment, for that time.
Yeah, that makes sense. Now, what about when they're agitated.
If the person's autistic, they can have a meltdown. It
can last fifteen, twenty, thirty minutes or whatever the timeframe
may be. But what about conditions like schizophrenia, PTSD or
other mental health challenges, those intense feelings can linger so
much longer. How do you support someone through that, helping
them find a path so they can calm down and
regain control.
What's been helpful for me and I think other people
is the time based schedule. Give yourself, like I love
this tool. Give yourself a handful of things that need
to get done and a handful of things that you
want to do, and space it out like fifteen minutes increments.
So for the first fifteen minutes, do something that you
need to get done, make yourself kind of do it.
The next fifteen minutes, relax and do something you want
to do that you enjoy. That helps with your time
awareness and helps you focus at those points, you know,
after an hour was by and then you realize, oh
my gosh, I've done I've gotten four things knocked out,
or I've been able to enjoy and I have really
pay attention to the time because time can be very
stressing and triggering for people, like if they don't have
a sense of purpose or if they don't have a
sense of a place to go or look forward to.
That can help calm somebody down and make them more productive.
Yeah, So what about the noise. I've heard many people
talk that they have noises in their head. Okay, how
can that be addressed so they can help them settle
down some and be more comfortable with themselves.
You know what I haven't encountered that I can recall,
except when I was in the hospital and there was
like a high pitcheringing because of the side effect of
the medicine, and I was just freaking out, like you know,
the high sensitivity and auditory input. So definitely what helps
me in those situations is holding on to something that's tactile,
that's like soft or like soothing. I think I have
a I don't know if there's a fitting for things,
but like when i'm it's kind of funny, it's a
quirk of mine. But when I have like a pet,
like a cat or a dog around their ears, I
love to like put my fingers around their ears because
the sensation to me is very soothing. And not everybody
has that, Like I don't know if I've met anybody
else who has that quirk. But something that you can
find that you know, helps relieve some kind of stress
like that.
Okay, now let's take the noise to a different scenario.
They're hearing noises which may be voices that they're hearing
that we don't hear. How do you help settle that down?
Because they are hearing it in their mind, however, the
other person is not hearing it. What are the steps
you might need to take to help them on that.
Okay, well here's what not to say. I'll give you that,
and then i'll tell you what to do. Don't say,
oh it seems real to you, It is real to them.
They're gonna be experiencing it just like you and I
are talking today.
Sure that makes sense.
I went through psychosis to the point where I thought
I was convinced even years later after I even wrote
my book that I had seen Tom Cruise on the
on the sidewalk from Afar and so like, there's just
things that you hear and see in those states that
you just can't shake. Your brain is just playing such
a good game with you. So don't tell somebody, oh,
it seems real to you or it's not real. Yeah, absolutely,
don't go there. But I can say kind of like
Alzheimer's and dementia, folks you know that have their own
they're in their little world like that you have to
join them. You have to kind of just sit with
it and acknowledge it. And when you do have the opportunity,
you go to the doctor with them, or you get
the medications looked at, because mediations can very well help
in a lot of cases for that.
Yeah, and then Chris, sometimes it takes a period of
time to find the right medication to work.
Does Yes, it's a trial and error. At this stage
of history we were in, it's still trial and error.
I'm sure though that with the advancements they're making in
the next generation or two, we'll see like so many
fixes in that, you know, quicker solutions to that.
Yeah. Yeah, I spoke with one person. He said it
took him ten years to figure it all out. Yes,
there was one particular medication that sounded very similar. The
doctor said, let's try this one. He said, no, I've
already done that one. The doctor said, this is the
one that you've used, This is the one that we
need to use.
Yeah.
Yeah, he tried it. It worked really well. He said,
this is my magic pill.
Yes, yes, that's it. I don't shy away from using
the term pill because I know, you know, there's that
connotation with it. But for me personally vilifies my magic pillar.
Without that five milligramsman, I would be out in left field.
So I do believe that the medicines can be found,
the right medicines can be found.
So what's up next? Are you writing a new book?
Is there anything else that you're thinking about possibly doing
in the future. Yes, So.
I kind of have a three pronged business slash ministry.
I'm an author, I'm an artist, and I'm an advocate,
and one of those is making money.
For me right now.
So I think I'm going to go for starting like
something like freelance work on upwork, which I already do
freelance work, but I'm looking forward to doing more artwork
and graphic design for people. But that aside. In terms
of books, I am still writing and I'm working on
two books at the time. They are faith based Christian
living genre with tying in my mental health with it
and my background and psychology and everything. I'm actually drawing
out the dynamic of hearing voices and hearing God's voice
because there's a difference and I like to explore that
in when I'm writing, so and kind of bringing those
two things together in the next couple of books that
I have in the Christian living market and what else
am I up to? Yeah, that's where I enjoy laboring.
It's a laboral love. It's what I love to do.
So if you could expand a little bit on the
different voices that you just brought up. You are saying
that the voices differ, So how can you tell how
do you tell them this is what you're hearing or
this is what you could be hearing? Can you tell
us the difference between the two.
From personal experience. When I heard voices in a psychotic state,
they were erratic and raspy and chanting and loud and
in my inner ear like shouting. Other times I might
have heard voices and they were so convincing. I think
it was it says sound like it was somebody in
the room. But as far as God's voice, that, according
to the Bible, is a still small voice that we
hear in our heart and based on four keys to
hearing God's voice. Through Mark Furkler, he's the founder of
Communion with God Ministries. Taking out of a book of
the Bible called the Fabacic, he goes into kind of
defining how we can access God's voice and that is
the first key is being still. The second key is
envisioning Jesus there with you in your mind's eye. The
third key is to into spontaneous flow, letting things bubble
up within your heart, being open to that. And then
the fourth is writing it down and documenting everything. If
it lines up with God and who he is in
the Bible and his nature, it's God's still small voice
speaking to you. If it doesn't line up with God
and his nature and his loving encouraging voice from the Bible,
it may not be God. So yeah, that's where I'm
going with those things, and I guess I would hope
that gives some clarity.
Yeah. Sure. So do you have the opportunity to do
many live events where you get to be there in person,
get the stories from people, get a chance to interact
with them. There's nothing better than getting stories from people
that follow you and of course have read your book.
They then can share their personal experiences and really really
to what you're trying to put across with it.
At this time, I'm not doing many live events, being
I'm so remote. I mean, I'm going on like podcasts
and summits online, but it's mostly like a one way
avenue because I don't have that two way audience where
I'm present with them unfortunately.
Yeah, yeah, I get that. I mean podcasts are good
and so are the online things. In the end, all
that matters is you're getting your point across and helping people. Now,
how do people find you? For those who want to
follow you reach out to you, what's the best way
for them to do that.
I'm at katiardale dot com and I'm everwhere, well, I
say everywhere, but most places on social media. At Katie
Ardale is my handle, so it's across the board, like
Facebook is where I'm usually at. Starting to get into
sub stack.
So yeah, So in closing, what do you feel this
important for the listeners to hear that they just need
to hear on what you're trying to do.
Maybe drawing out just to make a point of like
there's a lot of confusion and mental illness, but there's
a lot of a lot to be said for truth
and the person of Christ who draws people to himself
when our world is very broken. I think with you
all agree there's always hope. I think leaving you with
the thought that you know, despite how hard it is
to suffer with the invisible illness like my fuller disorder
or others. I find so much comfort in that knowing
that Christ who lives in me has seen everything I've
seen through my eyes, you know, has heard every voice
and seen every vision or thought of you know, seeing
every thought, and knows me intimately. And to me, that's
very comforting because he is a good guy and he
has answered my prayer, so bringing back to a whole
mind and there's hope for everyone for that.
Yeah, yeah, that is great information. This has been really good,
good conversation, good information, a lot of good things for
my listeners to hear. So thanks for coming on.
Thank you for having me Tony. This is awesome. Thank
you so much. It's great getting to chat with you
and getting to know you a little bit as it's
been really neat. Thank you so much.
Oh it's been my pleasure. Thanks again. Thanks for taking
the time out of your busy schedule to listen to
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