2SP on Meta - a behind the scenes interview

Amy and Hunter were excited to be on Peter Wells’ podcast Meta, a podcast about podcasts. If you are a Two Shrinks fan and want to know more about how we go about producing the show, who listens and how we got started then head over to the Meta podcast feed (link below) and tune in to hear Peter grill us and perhaps act as a bit of a therapist towards us. Peter writes for the @theage and @smh newspapers about technology and podcasts and recently started Meta, where he is interviewing podcasters about the work they do. His first episode was with the Coronacast Team, the third with none other than former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. So we were very pleased to be amongst such great company.

Apple:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/amy-donaldson-and-hunter-mulcare-two-shrinks-pod/id1530887036?i=1000492719906

Meta webpage:

https://pod.link/meta/episode/ODdiMmNmNTEtYzk5MC00MGViLWIwNTItZjlkMjJjN2YxOTZl

61 - Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism, a fascinating, complex and controversial disorder. Join Amy and Hunter for an overview of Autism, or as it is currently known, Autism Spectrum Disorder. This episode should be a good one stop shop for giving you a) a description of the signs and symptoms of Autism, b) a history of how Autism and Aspergers Syndrome came to be recognised, c) a description about one of the main psychological theories to explain some of the challenges people with Autism have, and d) a discussion of myths about Autism. The episode wraps with Things We Came Across, Hunter discussing fainting in classical paintings while Amy tackles the influence of social anxiety on Pokemon Go behaviour.

This episode is pitched at a high level but should be accessible enough to learn about Autism and it is one of our longer shows because there is a lot to cover (and we didn’t even go into working with people with ASD). Autism is a really interesting topic for clinicians and students of psychology to study given it’s complexity and also the intersection of experimental social cognition research, advocacy, early intervention and the emerging neuro-divergent community and movement.

If there is anything you think we missed or would like us to cover about Autism then email us at twoshrinkspod@gmail.com.

Research & information:

Autism : A New Introduction to Psychological Theory and Current Debate by Francesca Happé , and Sue Fletcher-Watson

Vaccination and Autism (it doesn’t cause Autism) : https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/vaccination-and-autism.pdf

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edn (DSM-5)

https://www.spectrumnews.org/features/special-reports/theories-of-autism/

The Metamorphosis of Autism by Bonnie Evans: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK436841/

TV shows & movies mentioned:

• Atypical

• Big Bang Theory

• Please Stand By

• Bones

• Rain man

• The IT crowd

Things we came across:

Fainting and painting: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0074774206740077

Personality & pokemon go: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886917307067

Mary and Max - 2SP on the School of Movies

Head over to the School of Movies podcast feed to hear Amy and Hunter join Alex and Sharon Shaw discuss and reflect on Adam Elliot’s masterpiece Mary and Max.

It is a film about a decades long friendship between an Australian girl Mary living in Melbourne, and adult Max who has Asperger’s and lives in New York. We discuss depression, Asperger’s, loneliness, and how these are portrayed in this unique stop motion movie. It’s not always an easy watch but it is an accurate depiction of these conditions and listeners interested in Asperger’s and Autism will find it rewarding.

A film about the challenges of two people understanding a chaotic and confusing world seems very 2020.

Where to find School of movies

Podbean:

https://schoolofmovies.podbean.com/e/mary-and-max-1599814885/

Apple:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/mary-and-max/id388751599?i=1000490894464

Twitter:

@schoolofmovies

60 - Diagnosing the Skywalkers: Mental Health in the Star Wars Universe

Presenting the definitive discussion on the mental health of the Skywalker family. Its our 60th episode and for some fun we turned our minds to analysing the characters from Star Wars.

This is an episode for psych nerds and Star Wars fans alike. It is similar to our Harry Potter episode (#41) where we diagnosed the Hogwarts teachers with personality disorders.

We discuss in turn Rey, Kylo/Ben Solo, Luke and Leia. For each we cover what their attachment style is, what early maladaptive schemas they have, and if they meet criteria for a DSM-5 diagnosis.

What does that mean in non psych speak? It means we talk at length about each character’s personality, upbringing, motivation and what problems they are experiencing.

Because Hunter is a the bigger Star Wars fan Amy quizzes him 3 times on how deep his knowledge of the Star Wars Universe actually is, with some interesting results.

The end of the show wraps up with “The Therapist Rises” a psychological/therapy interpretation of the final trilogy. If you are a psychologist or training to be one you need to listen to the last 25 mins.

Any thoughts about the show? twoshrinkspod@gmail.com or on twitter @twoshrinkspod

May the force be with you!

Teaser: Does Anakin Skywalker have Borderline Personality Disorder?

Ahead of our 60th episode “Diagnosing the Skywalkers: Mental Health in the Star Wars Universe” we decided to give you some pre-listening (reading?) to get you ready (hey don’t judge, we did do a lot of university study). Hunter covers a series of academic articles that discuss whether Anakin Skywalker has Borderline Personality (links below). This is a snippet from our 10th episode recorded way back in 2017 before The Last Jedi was released.

If you want to know more about Borderline Personality we covered symptoms and theory in Episode #25: (listen here through the website or apple podcasts); the treatment of BPD with Dialectical Behaviour Therapy in Episode #26 (website or apple podcasts) and the impact of BPD on family members in Episode #49
(website or apple podcasts)

See you in a couple of weeks to geek out on psychology & Star Wars!

Anakin Skywalker articles :

Part one - Bui et al. (2011) - Is Anakin Skywalker Suffering From Borderline Personality Disorder?

Part two - da Rocha et al. (2012) - Revisiting the Anakin Skywalker Diagnostic: Transcending the Diagnostic Criteria

Part three - Bui & Rodgers (2012) - Response to da Rocha et al.

Part four - Tobia et al. (2015) - Darth Vulcan? In support of Anakin Skywalker suffering from borderline personality disorder.

59 - Healthcare workers’ challenges during COVID-19

How are health care workers coping during COVID? On our final episode of the COVID series, we take a look at the issues facing healthcare workers. For the first time in many workers’ careers, we’re dealing with an issue that impacts everyone, including ourselves. Tune in for a discussion about issues like coping under crisis conditions, providing mental health treatment remotely, and what happens when your personal values or worries are different to those you treat.

As always, to wrap up we finish with a lighter chat about things we came across - what we’ll miss from lock down and how we knew we’d been in lock down too long.

Special thanks to the doctors who helped us prepare for this episode by sharing their experiences and concerns: Dr Eric Levi (@DrEricLevi), Dr Vyom Sharma (@drvyom), Dr Andy Tagg (@andrewjtagg) and Dr Lachie Hayes.