This is Hear Me Out. I'm Celeste Hedley. If the holiday season has you feeling a little blue, you are not alone.

One in five Americans have a diagnosed mental illness and a study from the National Alliance on Mental Illness found that the

majority of Americans with these illnesses suffer more over the holidays. There are a lot

of reasons for that stress, changing seasons, worries about money, family strain, but the fact remains this is a difficult season for many, many people.

This podcast is a place for us to talk openly, and we're going to do that. Does the way we approach mental health

in this country, diagnosis first, medication-centric, actually serve everyone?

Or should we redesign mental health treatment to be more holistic?

I would never expect a psychiatrist to heal me.

Medicine, yes.

Allegiating symptoms, yes.

But healing is so much more than medicine and a diagnosis.

Aaron Grim, a writer and advocate, joins us in just a moment.

Stay with us.

Welcome back to Hear Me Out. I'm Celeste Hedley. Just a note before we get started.

This episode will include some very candid discussions of mental illness, mental health crises and treatment.

Our guest, Aaron, has schizoaffective disorder and will talk very personally about her experience.

Listener discretion is advised.

And if you need help, we will share resources in the show notes and at the end of the episode.

Many people look forward to the holiday season when they can reconnect with loved ones.

For a lot of people it's a time of celebration and joy, but for others the end of the year is neither happy nor loving.

It is not uncommon for the holidays to bring sadness to people and suffering.

But it is important to talk about mental health openly and candidly,

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