Welcome to the Mad in America podcast, your source for science, psychiatry, and social justice.

Welcome to the Mad in America podcast. My name is Broxeme, and I am the author of the award-winning

memoir on antidepressant withdrawal

may cause side effects.

Today I am so excited to be with Kelsey Osgood.

Kelsey is the author of How to Disappear Completely on Modern Anorexia, which was chosen

for the Barnes & Noble Discover Great Writers' New Program, and her new book, Godstruck,

Seven Women's Unexpected Journeys to Religious Conversion, which came out in March 2025.

Her work has appeared online and in print at the Atlantic, New York Times, Harper's, and The New Yorker, among other outlets.

Kelsey, I am so excited to be with you today because when Bob Whitaker said that you had

written a book on anorexia and then another one on religious conversion, I was immediately

jumped on board to interview you because I also have a very similar story about eating disorders

in anorexia in the early 2000s. So much of what you wrote there,

I just thought I could have written myself. And I have also in the past years started reading the

Bible. I didn't grow up with any sort of organized religion. There was a lot of spiritual

background in my life. But I just kind of realized I had a lot of opinions

about something I hadn't actually spent any time with. So I'm just so excited to talk to you.

Thank you for being here. Thank you so much for having me. You are also one of the best writers I

have encountered in years. I'm incredibly impressed by the quality of your work and the way you're able to combine history

in both topics with your own story. It's extraordinary. I highly recommend that any readers

pick up the book. But because this is a podcast about mental health and social justice,

I am going to start by reading a quote from page 60

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