We're All Mad Here

When America was born, founding father Patrick Henry was newly married to his much younger new wife. But what happened to his first wife, Sarah Shelton? Why did she spend the last four years of her life locked in the family cellar? www.patreon.com/allmadpodcast SOURCES: Sarah Shelton Henry: The Wife Patrick Henry Kept in the Cellar […]

Quite a few accomplished chess players ended up becoming mentally ill later in their careers- but is chess itself responsible for its players’ problems? www.patreon.com/allmadpod SOURCES https://members.tripod.com/HSK_Chess/steinitz.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/five-myths/five-myths-about-chess/2020/11/20/529fb63a-2a79-11eb-9b14-ad872157ebc9_story.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Steinitz https://www.chess.com/article/view/can-anyone-be-an-im-or-gm Chess and Mental Illness: 12 Chess Player Who Suffered From Severe Mental Problems http://tartajubow.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-tragic-story-of-brilliant-alvis.html https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2020000300169 https://bleeckerstreetmedia.com/editorial/the-most-dangerous-game#:~:text=After%20he%20lost%20his%20championship,inmate%20up%20for%20a%20game.

It’s the first episode of Rachel’s new podcast HOOKED! On May 15 2001, one of the most beloved bloggers of the early internet died from a brain aneurysm after battling leukemia.  On May 19, 2001, the internet learned that Kaycee Nicole Swenson had not, in fact, died. She had never existed.   www.patreon.com/hookedthepod SOURCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaycee_Nicole  […]

Why do we want to squeeze or nibble on things we find overwhelmingly adorable? It’s called “cute aggression!” www.patreon.com/allmadpodcast “Tears of Joy” May Help Us Maintain Emotional Balance https://www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/emotions-stress-and-anxiety/2019/cute-aggression-why-you-want-to-squeeze-adorable-creatures–091019 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271503312_Dimorphous_Expressions_of_Positive_Emotion_Displays_of_Both_Care_and_Aggression_in_Response_to_Cute_Stimuli https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cute_aggression https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/12/31/679832549/when-too-cute-is-too-much-the-brain-can-get-aggressive https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181204143857.htm

Did you know that in addition to creating a cereal empire, John Harvey Kellogg was a doctor AND ran a sanitarium for most of his life? Obsessed with purity of mind and body, Kellogg created a home-away-from-home resort where people with all kinds of illness could relax, eat his food inventions, and get all the […]

Happy holidays and a merry New Year!

James Taylor is one of the most successful American musicians alive today. Coming from a musical family, James wrote his first song on guitar at 14. By the time he was 22, he was being called “the new voice of rock.” But as he’d risen in his career, James’ family history of depression and addiction […]

It’s been awhile since I gave voice to a piece of writing: this week, I read Virginia Woolf’s ON BEING ILL. www.patreon.com/allmadpodcast

CW/TW: Suicide/ suicidal ideation, childhood sexual abuse Virginia Woolf is as famous for her suicide as she is for her writing. Born into a family with a history of mental health and being a victim of sexual abuse, Virginia never stood a chance. Even so, she produced some of the most famous English literature in […]

Many true crime podcasts have covered the death of Elisa Lam, a Canadian college student. But few have covered what was considered a large factor in her death: her bipolar disorder. This is a different look into the mysterious Elisa Lam case. www.patreon.com/allmadpodcast

TW: Eating disorders, suicide Happily retired from her running career, Suzy Favor Hamilton was looking forward to leading a more normal life. But soon, Suzy found quiet life in Wisconsin unbearable; she needed something exciting to fill the space running had left. Hoping to satisfy her insatiable sex drive, Suzy signed up to be a […]

TW: Eating disorders, suicide, adult language Suzy Favor Hamilton went to the Olympics three times. She was one of the fastest runners in the world. But her undiagnosed bipolar disorder gave her performance anxiety that showed itself in panic attacks and depression. Suzy felt that, even as an Olympian, she was never good enough, and […]

We’re talking about bipolar disorder this week!   www.patreon.com/allmadpodcast

Philadelphia, one of the oldest cities in the United States, prides itself on preserving and remembering its history. So why is it that the story of Mary Lum Girard, business assistant and wife to one of the richest men in American history, has been swept under the rug? Her husband, Stephen Girard, has several locations […]

CW: This episode contains discussion of suicide Mark Drybrough and Nadia Kajouji both completed suicide after being sent instructions on how by a friend on the internet. But who was this friend really, and why did they encourage dozens of people online to kill themselves? www.patreon.com/allmadpodcast    

Everyone knows Charlie Chaplin, but few people know about his mother Hannah. The daughter of a mentally ill mother, and who developed syphilis-related psychosis, Hannah still managed to impart her performing skills to her son Charlie. While Hannah never reached the level of fame that her husband or sons, grandchildren, and great grandchildren did, her […]

Dr. Teleka Patrick suspected she was schizophrenic. But she was worried that if she got an official diagnosis, she’d lose her psychiatry license, so she kept her suspicions quiet and tried to get on with her life. But her mental illness ended her marriage. It earned her a restraining order from her pastor. And eventually, […]

What happened in the months and days leading up to the murder-suicide of the Hart family? What was the trigger? Mental illness? Marital problems? Or just the Hart mothers being unable to see a future for their kids?   www.patreon.com/allmadpod

On March 25, 2018, Jennifer Hart killed her family of 8 in a shocking murder-suicide. No one who knew the Harts could believe that this perfect, happy blended family met such a tragic end. Jennifer had kept everyone at arm’s length while crafting the picture of perfect family online. Behind the scenes was abuse, neglect, […]

Clennon King Jr. was the first black man to run for president. But before blazing that trail, the professor at an all-black college tried to enroll in the University of Mississippi to earn his doctorate. The school, also known as Ole Miss, was whites only, and it was declared that any black man who pursued […]