Exploring Family Trauma & Mental Health: A Mother-Son Conversation w/ Kim Wichman Artwork

Beat The Mental Health Out Of It! | Dark-Humor Conversations On Serious Mental Illness & Trauma

If you live with mental illness—or love someone who does—and you’re tired of sugar-coated wellness talk, this show is for you!

"Beat The Mental Health Out Of It!" blends dark humor with real recovery so you feel seen, steadied, and a little lighter. We tell it like it is, so you don’t have to.

Hosted by Nicholas Wichman (“The DEFECTIVE Schizoaffective”) and often joined by co-host Tony Medeiros ("IndyPocket"), this is a brutally honest mental health podcast about what it’s actually like to live with serious mental illness on the schizophrenia spectrum. We talk schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, psychosis, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, BPD, PTSD, addiction, religious trauma, bad therapy, psych wards, meds, disability, and trying to build a life in a system that isn’t built for us. You’ll get:

– Lived-experience truth from someone who hears voices, dissociates, relapses, parents, plays music, and still shows up.

– Grounded insight from a mental health professional who has sat across from hundreds of clients and worked inside the system.

– Edgy, stigma-smashing, sometimes controversial conversations about mental illness, relationships, family dysfunction, religion, work, creativity, and survival.

– Challenging takeaways and coping ideas you can actually try—along with laughs that punch up, down, left, right… everywhere.

This show is for people juggling therapy, meds, trauma, and everyday chaos who want honest talk, gallows humor, and zero judgment. Whether you’re schizoaffective, living with schizophrenia or psychosis, dealing with PTSD, supporting a loved one, or just trying not to lose your mind, "Beat The Mental Health Out Of It!" gives you language, community, and brutally honest hope.

We’re not your therapists—we’re fellow passengers on “The Struggle Bus,” sharing what we’ve learned the hard way and refusing to suffer in silence.

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Beat The Mental Health Out Of It! | Dark-Humor Conversations On Serious Mental Illness & Trauma

Exploring Family Trauma & Mental Health: A Mother-Son Conversation w/ Kim Wichman

October 20, 2025 • Nicholas Wichman - Mental Health Advocate • Season 1 • Episode 26

In this episode of "Beat The Mental Health Out Of It!", we dive into the complex intersection of family trauma, mental health, and grief through an intimate mother-son conversation with Kim Wichman and host Nicholas Wichman.

Discover how family dynamics are shaped by protective parenting in the wake of loss and the profound impact of childhood trauma on mental well-being.

Kim shares her personal experiences of raising her son who was diagnosed with a severe mental illness at an early age. She expresses her profound difficulties with managing the loss of her mother and infant child while emphasizing the importance of open communication and support in strengthening family bonds.

She also delves into the complications of medical malpractice and the lasting impact prescription medications has had on her mental health.

Nicholas reflects on his journey with Schizoaffective Disorder, shedding light on the role of family support during challenging medical circumstances surrounding his severe mental health condition.

We highlight recognizing critical mental health signs in children, fostering resilience without overlooking past traumas, and addressing the emotional complexities of protective parenting from both perspectives.

This episode is not just about sharing experiences; it's about cultivating understanding, showing love and navigating the delicate balance between grief and healing.

If this convo hit home, come grab a seat on our Discord "The Struggle Bus" and share a fond memory of someone you love, and a lesson they taught you that keeps you afloat to this day. (link below)

Beat The Mental Health Out Of It! is a candid mental health podcast with lived experience—schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia spectrum psychosis, BPD, PTSD, trauma recovery, coping skills, and dark humor that fights stigma.

Hosted by Nicholas Wichman (“The DEFECTIVE Schizoaffective”) with frequent co-host Tony Medeiros, ("IndyPocket"), we talk serious mental illness, psych wards, religious trauma, bad therapy, meds, disability, and messy real-world coping.

New episodes drop every other Monday at 6am ET.

Want community and support? Join our Discord, “The Struggle Bus”: https://discord.gg/emFXKuWKNA

All links (TikTok, YouTube, Streaming, etc.): https://linktr.ee/BTMHOOI

Podcast cover art by Ryan Manning