{"podcast":{"title":"You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist","slug":"you-must-be-some-kind-of-therapist-5142473","podcast_index_feed_id":5142473,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/you-must-be-some-kind-of-therapist","website_url":"https://www.sometherapist.com","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/kKSwO8C4wLrjRyUIWjlyIr2zfV-lqxogMZ4PRqp_ams/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzI1NzQ0LzE2NDQy/NzA3NjktYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.jpg","author":"Stephanie Winn","episode_count":221,"summary":"A podcast at the intersection of psychology and culture that intimately explores the human experience and critiques the counseling profession. Your host, Stephanie Winn, distills wisdom gained from her practice as a family therapist and coach while pivoting towards questions of how to apply a practical understanding of psychology to the novel dilemmas of the 21st century, from political polarization to medical malpractice. What does ethical mental health care look like in a normless age, as our moral compasses spin in search of true north? How can therapists treat patients under pressure to affirm everything from the notion of \"gender identity\" to assisted suicide? Primarily a long-form interview podcast, Stephanie invites unorthodox, free-thinking guests from many walks of life, including counselors, social workers, medical professionals, writers, researchers, and people with unique lived experience, such as detransitioners. Curious about many things, Stephanie’s interdisciplinary psychological lens investigates challenging social issues and inspires transformation in the self, relationships, and society. She is known for bringing calm warmth to painful subjects, and astute perce…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-20T16:18:10.386697+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/you-must-be-some-kind-of-therapist-5142473"},"episode":{"title":"199. A Psychiatrist's Guide to Political Anxiety and Medication Myths with Dr. Michael Ziffra","slug":"199-a-psychiatrist-s-guide-to-political-anxiety-and-medication-myths-with-dr-michael-ziffra","published_at":"2026-02-02T09:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/you-must-be-some-kind-of-therapist-5142473/199-a-psychiatrist-s-guide-to-political-anxiety-and-medication-myths-with-dr-michael-ziffra","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/you-must-be-some-kind-of-therapist-5142473","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/6a6483d5","audio_url":"https://pdcn.co/e/media.transistor.fm/6a6483d5/c1e1f8a5.mp3","summary":"In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Michael Ziffra, a psychiatrist and associate professor at Northwestern University who specializes in anxiety disorders. Dr. Ziffra has been writing a Substack series called \"Wise Mind in Anxious Times,\" exploring how we can better navigate the intersection of mental health and our turbulent political landscape. We begin by discussing the alarming advice that made headlines—a Yale psychiatrist suggesting people should avoid family members who voted differently than them. Dr. Ziffra and I unpack why avoidance is the exact opposite of what we'd normally recommend for anxiety, and how vilifying language creates a vicious cycle that intensifies fear and paranoia. He offers practical wisdom on how softening our language can open doors to genuine dialogue. From there, we dive deep into the world of psychiatric medication. Dr. Ziffra helps demystify the \"chemical imbalance\" theory, explaining why \"dysfunction\" is a better term than \"imbalance\" since we can't actually measure neurotransmitter levels the way we can check vitamin D. We explore fascinating territory including opioid receptors and depression, how low-dose naltrexone works, the dangers of chronic benzodiazepine use, and why tapering off medications requires far more patience than most people realize. We also discuss the overlooked impacts of birth control on young women's mental health, sleep disorders that masquerade as psychiatric conditions, and the emerging questions around weight loss drugs and ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. Dr. Michael Ziffra is a psychiatrist and Associate Professor at Northwestern University, specializing in anxiety and mood disorders. Dr. Ziffra also is the author of “Wise Mind in Anxious Times”, a series on Substack exploring the interface…","meta_description":"In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Michael Ziffra, a psychiatrist and associate professor at Northwestern University who specializes in anxiety disorder…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4454,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/you-must-be-some-kind-of-therapist-5142473/episodes/199-a-psychiatrist-s-guide-to-political-anxiety-and-medication-myths-with-dr-michael-ziffra/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/you-must-be-some-kind-of-therapist-5142473/199-a-psychiatrist-s-guide-to-political-anxiety-and-medication-myths-with-dr-michael-ziffra.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}