MEN of Mental Health Monday: 44 Million Plus With Sam Kirkegaard

Monday, August 20th

Over 44 million people deal with some form of mental illness every year.  It's one of the many reasons I'm passionate about my Mental Health Mondays.  When I find others who are equally as passionate about open discussions about mental illness, I like to pick their brains and give them props.  This week we talk with Sam Kirkegaard, a former intern and buddy of mine who is starting a conversation on a platform of his own.  He has struggles of his own as well, AND he's a dude, so he's a perfect guest for a MENtal Health Monday in this Riggs Off The Radio podcast.   


Mental health Monday as an information on podcasts and should not be used to replace the specialized training and professional judgment of healthcare or mental health care professional until Monday can't be a responsible for the use of the information provided. Please always consult a trained mental health professional before making any decision regarding treatment of yourself or others self help information and podcasts and information on the Internet is useful but it's not always a substitute for professional assistance unless otherwise noted guests of mental Monday enough doctors are licensed and anyway our hopes to make the connection with you and be more open and honest about everyone's mental health into the podcast. Hey what's up but thanks for checking battered other mental health Monday money is rigs from rigs finale on one of three point seven kiss FM in Milwaukee I do the morning show and also there's rigs off the radio podcast that. You need to subscribe to sue or you've come across on the Internet somehow solve. Either way if you haven't click subscribe and you feel like what you've been hearing. Do me a favor and take me a rating or a little review after you listen and feel free to listen to past episodes of mental health Monday where we talked about. Depression anxiety we talked about PT SDA's suicide. Survivors as well this week. We're talking to a friend of mine another discussion we're not doctors this week we're just. Dudes. This legally in JC you my friend Sam. I met Sam he was an intern for the morning Michelle probably 524. Years ago I wanna saying. And kiss FM with Allie and I'm. Sam was always a hard worker he's got a really keen eye for photography a creative guy and recently he started a website called 44 million plus dot com. Which is significant of the 44 million plus people in the United States that suffer. Warren the deal with the mental illness every single year as soon as I saw him put this up. I immediately thought awesome somebody else starting a mental health conversation this is awesome that I was like wait a minute that Sam I know him I would have put him on my podcast I didn't know that Sam dealt with those CD and anxiety and depression this is fascinating to me. How he brought this website to be so I really wanted to get his story and bring him on as a guest for mental health Monday I've been on his podcast before. So I should bring him on mine lets me this week Sam Kirk and guard. For mental health Monday though is the first time I think ever bank guest on podcasts really or just generally anybody yet you Deseret had a podcast he had me and is again season and you posted several other ones that you brought people on the net man again Salinas you have this is the first and thank Allah to bring you on business on that you and also started its pretty serious conversation about mental as well with your 44 million plus website yes is that something you started on your own. As long process I guess is it explain what is first yes for a million plus represents the 44 million are over 44 million Americans who are affected by mental health conditions every year now so I figured it was a fitting title because you is. It was a project that line to be like more of a community in in on Columbus saying I'm not just one specific mental illness yeah. Everybody. I want to blend like. Stuff that I like to do which is video and photography done and combine that with stories which is what we do so. I go out take some pictures of this whoever the subject is fair for that day and they write a little excerpt about. Pretty much have they want shore they've gone through Osha's area that's safe and even Jane that it was and again our podcast he's scientists have found who has his suffered depression suicide at the nation as well Tom I had him on. I had a girl name Molina who suffers wish. She was going to be an abusive relationship and suffers with like panic and anxiety on a friend in my Lauren who recently got diagnosed of those CD. But is open everybody says he ever wants. Share your story I feel even if you're comfortable with that a lot of people are comfortable I found telling me specifically all I saw a cool story and we're five million plus they don't they're not ready yet Dan just completely fine and I understand how is that for a for. Long time yeah pom. There's no the last elitism as you yes it's me down we do that and you had you some of those CD and some other men's illnesses as well yeah all my life on. My back sorry I I was diagnosed formally with OCB announced twelve. And smallest in my childhood was pretty much. That's was just right having a CD now OCD it eat. Obsessions and compulsions what worried do you remember what your obsessions and double edged sword because Ahmed a doctor on the fast talking about how it's kind of bowl. Yeah I do what we're year's U member I was still deal with and now play down on the what are they against so my game attended the when I was younger I didn't have as good grasp on and so I had more compulsions I used you. Think with my fingers in my view this. Him over and over again like scars in my face Siam the Atlantic has to do that delayed by their upper lip or again scouting staff the gap on the most of so I like winning goal on grass because I I was afraid it had some sort of chemical on them kill me really. When you were a child yet. Yeah that's open whereas I can go now is a good thing we have to grab it take and it has. It it puts into perspective a mental illness because. Like right now we can joke about not being yielding on grass yet but that sounds ridiculous. Does that play in your mind something was telling you like I can't go on he has something's gonna happen it's on to another guy and it's not that. By smelling marijuana around as friends and thought it was gonna get a contact tying a drug test and I think that's these are coming to get trouble make it you know I'm gonna get arrested the newest look upon it was around people who were smoking pot again if it gets out of control your main elements can go. The movie can't and don't get it under you know lasso and up. Yeah I know is who is. It was crazy because like. I was like touch someone or whatever and spew washing my hands for like an hour as I just I felt like I couldn't get them off of mine Brad it was taking over your life and accident again what it is still is now is that I have more obsessive thoughts alike. A negative positive things as always they always negative right. I wish upon men live in a lot better life right now Bryant are they're never pleasant like really dark thoughts like. Killing people and stuff like that pays him and the cardinal rabbit hole here and I think recently. From seeing a therapist and stuff like that I've kind of like. I've been often unseen therapist for like. Ever downplay it medication don't like the idea that. People would you wheeled into if that would make news I have tried it for their lives. Ironically made you feel. So much that it was like. I felt like for my specific situation out there are a lot of mental illness is out there where it's like. Necessary in LA killer you depression as well yeah and I don't like you anxiety and I bet but that was like. A plethora of other things you know you can't just be Rolen on medication he need to. Negotiate therapists are like two other stuff rant against combination of stuff of course you have but there's no magic pill to make an uncle in dash I wish there was yeah unfortunately is not the case and that's kind of why I don't. Go down that route route is because like to me. For early OCB for anxiety for depression. Medications kind of like a band aid but give a massive gash in your arm and you just put a band aid over it. And then we can demanding job cuts. Actually got to figure out why how who died I don't I deal with the cotton instead of hiding yeah which is kind of like. If you just take medication. For an extended period of time in underneath there if you don't like work on anything. Not really. You're not really developing and changing anything you know when your off the medication you're back at square one again. To me it's more a volley developing the skills that I can use still like cult. Yes coal oil and navigated yeah it would be part of me you know what he'd done some people do physical fitness and deal and that some people who are just. Brian sterling actors' eyes I see a therapist. You know regularly. I think that's really an important part in an. And massively overlook parties. Is figuring out how to navigate and I think a lot of people myself included when I was dealing with mental illness an early age. I was like I felt kind of like I was fighting it Larry I was like I got to figure out how to link navigates. We just. It yeah instead of like just clashing with an all time. And that's kind of Iraq Isaac. So wordy where do you see this year we UN percent to 44 million plus forty CNET killing you wanna take that to most of national level he would keep it local and Milwaukee herb I didn't say any parameters on I'm not like I'm in a post on an every week or something's kindness and someone comes in the US. With with historian there their comfortable sharing him. Because when I was growing up I didn't I was and we'll talk about it with anybody and I felt like real alone like I I just felt like hours as we are monster who is like. Think about killing his parents on a daily basis for no reason and I Alec Motley terrible person drive and and anyone who really talk about it with her empathize with. Because like I didn't know anyone in that was dealing with any sort of mental illness rallies was open to talk about itself. I wanted to start at least the community in place for people or people like oh there's a face to that story is scientists. Some blogger on the Internet that others say there's a human being right there and I can. I can see that. Don't ask everybody now every man in my mental Monday podcast what do you think that men are so bad about talking about the mental. I think it's just it's a cultural thing. I think. To be honest I I am more feminine man. They write mostly and yeah now they're like I don't even know how masculine men are boat I'm not I'm not that type guy in my cell. I found a lot easier talk about it because I did. I'm much more of an emotional person Asher partially because of memento on the stuff I might much more connected with that excited me where I like to relate with the people in us. You know and and stuff like that so I think it's just mails got to be. This yeah handed sure head of the household which in 2018 is kind of ridiculous right but I. So many women there has a household Afghanistan on the ads is. But it's the thing having guys' souls the preconceived notion that like. Oh ZDF subjecting anxiety grows anxiety and it is exciting I think he's now I've heard from guys I I don't personally think that I've just heard that from man Mike. All of its own CD that's a chicken Caesar. Anxiety that some of the girls get hurt you never that a formal but it is in the have a CD before in the LA so right now nobody synergies chick thing makes it's I know it's more reject this is the I think it hi hey you know hey I'm glad the very open about it hostess it's refreshing to hear people and everybody that talks do that is just open about. And it is yeah you're not ashamed of Unita mayors about it. He shouldn't be known anybody listening that thinks they have some like that has to know that they're not alone there's other people like that out there yeah that are suffering the same thing about patience is suffering that are dealing in. Managing the same issues. Chandler chance it's not something you know there'll still be weeks himself where I you know have bad weeks and you're in you know. What to what brings you out of that when you get those moments when you feeling a city coming back I feel it. They and many people of Kanye you know you know we think about is like it's so every day to me at this point you know like today our legs. I I they're full fledged panic attacks but there you definitely feel it because never bought anything rational distress and anxiety are two different things but I'm not like oh man this test onion really stresses. But you know what distress he got these guys more like. I'm standing here. At a restaurant. There's nothing happening but for some reason on my feeling really anxious you physically and comes over offer for no reason play this year I don't know why it's happening. So leg. Some some breathing techniques like I can I get to the point now where I'm Mike I infield panic attack coming on and I can kind of like cut it off before it gets to a full fledged like I can't move my hands instead and I can I can't see. Like I can I can cut it off at a certain point in just. Kind of relax myself a little bit and have. You know grab the reins buy it. On yeah I think it's just about. A lot of strong more of like learning excellent ads inflows of having a mental illnesses like being in a relationship you know and it's now is going to be grave but now you still. Is that a lot yourself and you still got to care so. You know I have them dart weeks in in my even months sometimes it's kind of par for the course I I kind of like hell. I think. I think I think differently than a lot of people here and I think it's 'cause. That kind of stuff and you miss it as an advantage tennis Canada helps a little bit yeah I think this is debilitating of the can be cash offer and he got us into its attitude sometimes I think I think faster than people. All of the time you know idea and props off and on disliked in this round runoff because like there's always have gone on my mind I'm sad that so quick in there and everything's everything's happening able. Jordan and pressing canceling its Elena ninety were very yeah very high energy feud with Syria with really fast and down your creative. Yes I think it it does have some got. You know look at the benefits a little bit to try and really just having all doom and gloom on the tags thanks wolf 44 million plus is the website people can reach out to you there if they want to they can share their story they can reach out talk to you about your story you read other people's stories and it's it's just another resource and I'm glad you're doing it especially some man yeah he and another voice in the mail communities step out and being an advocate for mental health so thank you for yeah thank you trap me and thanks for coming on the podcast force that's high five for your first guest analyst. Thanks again to stand for coming on the podcast this week for mental health Monday his website 44 million plus dot com. He'd like to share your story with him. We just it was website if somebody has struggled with depression or anxiety any sort of mental illness and you've overcome after you still struggling with it and managing it today. Sure he's doing with Sam seriously with somebody talking always helps. Thank you again for checking out another mental health Monday. Next week we hit up bipolar disorder rule yes all the statements around. Bipolar disorder we are bringing back to podcast doctor Jerry how percent from Rogers behavioral health. We'll talk to him next week for mental health Monday for rigs off the radio I'm rigs thanks for listening and haven't awesome weekend afternoon morning and night whatever you're doing. And make good life decisions.