Unspoken Grief

Hosts Michael Vinton and Tina Chevalier welcome psychiatrist Dr. Janine Roach to discuss bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, psychosis, and severe mental illness in the context of grief after murder-suicide, emphasizing “seeking understanding without seeking blame” and avoiding posthumous diagnosis or stigmatizing violence. Dr. Roach explains common misconceptions, including that bipolar disorder is not moment-to-moment moodiness but cyclical episodes, and outlines bipolar I vs. bipolar II, mania/hypomania, depression, euthymia, and how symptoms can go undiagnosed for years. She describes schizophrenia and paranoid schizophrenia, delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, negative symptoms, and how psychosis can occur in mania or depression. The conversation covers family challenges, legal limits to involuntary care, boundary-setting, support resources like NAMI Family-to-Family, and hope from reduced stigma and increased help-seeking.988 Lifeline number: https://988lifeline.org/ At the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, we understand that life's challenges can sometimes be complex. Whether you're facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, our caring counselors are here for you. You are not alone. Didi Hirsch Mental Services: didihirsch.org Crisis Text LineText HOME to 741741 Free, 24/7 Mental Health Support  Dr. Janine Roach Email: jroach@gmail.comNAMI _https://www.nami.org/programs/nami-family-to-family/Michael VintonEmail:                info@impactedsurvivors.com Website:    www.michaelvinton.com                  http://www.impactedsurvivors.orgPodcast:    Unspoken Grief IG:            @therealmichaelvintonFB:            Michael VintonLinkedin:   m/ichael-vinton-6702a373IDMB:                Michael Vinton (III)Headshot: Headshot 1                 Headshot 2 Tina ChevalierEmail:                Tina@impactedsurvivors.com Website:    www.impactedsurvivors.org Podcast:   Unspoken GriefIG:            @impactedsurvivorsofmsFB:            FacebookHeadshot; Headshot

In this episode of the Unspoken Grief podcast, hosts Michael Vinton and Tina Chevalier talk with Eric Kussin, founder of Same Here Global and co-host of the podcast We’re All a Little Crazy, about mental health advocacy, grief, and the harm of simplified narratives. Eric shares his background in professional sports leadership, his debilitating mental health crisis, extensive medication trials, TMS, inpatient hospitalization, and ECT, and how integrative therapy helped him reframe his experience as accumulated chronic stress and trauma. He discusses his brother’s long medical ordeals, the “Five in Five” message that everyone has mental health, concerns about nonprofit and media messaging, and why deaths of despair should be discussed with nuance to support prevention. Eric explains the Same Here hand sign origins, previews his book Diagnosis (out around September), and describes hope through ongoing healing and somatic trauma release988 Lifeline number: https://988lifeline.org/ At the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, we understand that life's challenges can sometimes be complex. Whether you're facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, our caring counselors are here for you. You are not alone. Didi Hirsch Mental Services: didihirsch.org Crisis Text LineText HOME to 741741 Free, 24/7 Mental Health Support  Eric Kussin Email:       eric@samehereglobal.orgWebsite:   https://samehereglobal.org/Instagram: @samehere_globalFacebook: @samehere_globalLinkedIn:  @samehere_globalPodcast:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/were-all-a-little-crazy/id1556305271YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@samehere_global Michael VintonEmail:                info@impactedsurvivors.com Website:    www.michaelvinton.com                  http://www.impactedsurvivors.orgPodcast:    Unspoken Grief IG:            @therealmichaelvintonFB:            Michael VintonLinkedin:   m/ichael-vinton-6702a373IDMB:                Michael Vinton (III)Headshot: Headshot 1                 Headshot 2 Tina ChevalierEmail:                Tina@impactedsurvivors.com Website:    www.impactedsurvivors.org Podcast:   Unspoken GriefIG:            @impactedsurvivorsofmsFB:            FacebookHeadshot; Headshot

Hosts Michael Vinton and Tina Chevalier welcome “Anonymous Daughter”, who lost her parents at 13 to a murder-suicide and originally told her story in a 2017 online essay, “I’m Finally Ready to Talk About How My Parents Died.” She describes loving memories of both parents and how the reality defies simple assumptions, then reflects on how her perspective has changed over nearly a decade, including becoming less dependent on others’ understanding and becoming a mother, which has raised questions about how to share this family history with her child in an age-appropriate way. She discusses years of secrecy, compartmentalization, and reluctance to be vulnerable, the influence of family privacy and her own personality, the value of her siblings as shared witnesses, and how she has built a fulfilling life while continuing to evolve in grief and hopeGuest's Buzzfeed Article:BuzzFeed “Anonymous Daughter” 988 Lifeline number: https://988lifeline.org/ At the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, we understand that life's challenges can sometimes be complex. Whether you're facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, our caring counselors are here for you. You are not alone. Didi Hirsch Mental Services: didihirsch.org Crisis Text LineText HOME to 741741 Free, 24/7 Mental Health Support  Michael VintonEmail:                info@impactedsurvivors.com Website:    www.michaelvinton.com                  http://www.impactedsurvivors.orgPodcast:    Unspoken Grief IG:            @therealmichaelvintonFB:            Michael VintonLinkedin:   m/ichael-vinton-6702a373IDMB:                Michael Vinton (III)Headshot: Headshot 1                 Headshot 2 Tina ChevalierEmail:                Tina@impactedsurvivors.com Website:    www.impactedsurvivors.org Podcast:   Unspoken GriefIG:            @impactedsurvivorsofmsFB:            FacebookHeadshot; Headshot  

Unspoken Grief hosts Michael Vinton and Tina Chevalier welcome Nina Rodriguez, founder and executive producer of the award-winning podcast Grief and Light, to discuss grief as a lived experience deserving dignity, depth, and community. Nina shares how her brother Joseph died from fentanyl poisoning in 2019, the traumatic aftermath, and the harmful things people said that fueled her mission to create an anonymous grief account that grew into her platform. She explains the physical and emotional impacts of grief, including learning about broken heart syndrome, and explores “living in the and,” holding joy and sorrow together without timelines. The episode highlights sibling loss as disenfranchised grief, identity shifts after loss, continued bonds, boundaries in sharing stories, and practical coping like keeping a “Joseph journal,” finding supportive communities, and extending grace to others.988 Lifeline number: https://988lifeline.org/ At the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, we understand that life's challenges can sometimes be complex. Whether you're facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, our caring counselors are here for you. You are not alone. Didi Hirsch Mental Services: didihirsch.org Crisis Text LineText HOME to 741741 Free, 24/7 Mental Health Support  Nina Rodriguez       Email:        nina@griefandlight.comWebsite:    griefandlight.comInstagram:         @griefandlight @itsnrodriguezPodcast:   Grief and LightYouTube:  @griefandlight Michael VintonEmail:                info@impactedsurvivors.com Website:    www.michaelvinton.com                  http://www.impactedsurvivors.orgPodcast:    Unspoken Grief IG:            @therealmichaelvintonFB:            Michael VintonLinkedin:   m/ichael-vinton-6702a373IDMB:                Michael Vinton (III)Headshot: Headshot 1                 Headshot 2 Tina ChevalierEmail:                Tina@impactedsurvivors.com Website:    www.impactedsurvivors.org Podcast:   Unspoken GriefIG:            @impactedsurvivorsofmsFB:            FacebookHeadshot; Headshot

In this Unspoken Grief episode, hosts Michael Vinton and Tina Chevalier, speak with survivor Krista Schenck, who lost both parents, Mark and Bonnie, in a July 2021 murder-suicide in which her father was the perpetrator. Krista shares what it has meant to live in the aftermath, including shock, a roller coaster of grief, anger, dark humor as coping, and the challenge of returning to work and facing awkward interactions. She describes friends who rotated staying overnight, support during her eulogy, and how community support can drop off after the first weeks, prompting her to seek groups, counseling, and medication. Krista discusses identity shifts, struggling with holidays, rebuilding routines, using music and planned events to create “micro joys,” navigating estate issues and the slayer clause, and finding hope in good, caring people.988 Lifeline number: https://988lifeline.org/ At the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, we understand that life's challenges can sometimes be complex. Whether you're facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, our caring counselors are here for you. You are not alone. Didi Hirsch Mental Services: didihirsch.org Crisis Text LineText HOME to 741741 Free, 24/7 Mental Health Support    Krista Schenck                    Instagram:ig/nebulana1 Michael VintonEmail:                info@impactedsurvivors.com Website:    www.michaelvinton.com                  http://www.impactedsurvivors.orgPodcast:    Unspoken Grief IG:            @therealmichaelvintonFB:            Michael VintonLinkedin:   m/ichael-vinton-6702a373IDMB:                Michael Vinton (III)Headshot: Headshot 1                 Headshot 2 Tina ChevalierEmail:                Tina@impactedsurvivors.com Website:    www.impactedsurvivors.org Podcast:   Unspoken GriefIG:            @impactedsurvivorsofmsFB:            FacebookHeadshot; Headshot

Unspoken Grief hosts Michael Vinton and Tina Chevalier welcome Dr. Denise Dailey, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Our Daily Bread, LLC, to discuss insights from their APA Division 19 Society for Military Psychology symposium presentation, “Unseen Battlefields,” exploring the intersection of military-related violence and murder-suicide and the overlooked impact on families and communities. Dr. Dailey shares how her family’s multigenerational military service shaped her understanding that trauma doesn’t stay overseas, describes post-deployment stress, injury, and family-system effects, and explains overlaps among isolation, identity collapse, burdensomeness, and moral injury. The conversation examines limitations in data and public narratives about perpetrators, warning signs families can take seriously, the importance of curiosity and presence, and practical steps like asking direct questions and using 988 for guidance, while also addressing provider burnout, hope through connection, and survivor community support988 Lifeline number: https://988lifeline.org/ At the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, we understand that life's challenges can sometimes be complex. Whether you're facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, our caring counselors are here for you. You are not alone. Didi Hirsch Mental Services: didihirsch.org Crisis Text LineText HOME to 741741 Free, 24/7 Mental Health Support    Dr. Denise Dailey                         Email: ourdaileybread@outlook.comWebsite: www.ourdaileybread.com and  Dailey, Denise | FacultyProfile | Adler UniversityLinkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/drdaileyptsdCauses: (Clinicaland Research Interest: PTSD Assessment and Treatment, Health Psychology,Military Clinical Psychology, Chronic Pain, Insomnia, Risk Assessment andSuicide Prevention ) Michael VintonEmail:                info@impactedsurvivors.com Website:    www.michaelvinton.com                  http://www.impactedsurvivors.orgPodcast:    Unspoken Grief IG:            @therealmichaelvintonFB:            Michael VintonLinkedin:   m/ichael-vinton-6702a373IDMB:                Michael Vinton (III)Headshot: Headshot 1                 Headshot 2 Tina ChevalierEmail:                Tina@impactedsurvivors.com Website:    www.impactedsurvivors.org Podcast:   Unspoken GriefIG:            @impactedsurvivorsofmsFB:            FacebookHeadshot; Headshot