178. When Women's Physical Symptoms Are Dismissed as Mental Illness
Behind every psychiatric label lies a question: Is this person mentally ill, or just misunderstood by medicine? When Dr. Kaycee Bills, a social work professor with a PhD, experienced a medical emergency from low blood pressure, she was handcuffed, sedated, and locked in a psychiatric ward instead of receiving proper care. Her crime? Being a woman whose scattered Adderall pills looked "suspicious" to authorities. This shocking personal account reveals how women are systematically disbelieved by the medical establishment—diagnosed with depression and anxiety at twice the rate of men, while serious physical conditions go untreated for years. Join Dr. Roger McFillin and Dr. Bills as they expose the dark underbelly of psychiatric holds, forced medication, and how the mental health system often traumatizes those it claims to help.
Chapters
Chapters
00:00 Understanding Mental Health Biases
03:27 The Journey Through Community Mental Health
11:33 The Impact of Over-Intervention
18:02 A Personal Experience in the Mental Health System
31:28 The Consequences of Psychiatric Holds
40:30 The Dehumanizing Nature of Psychiatric Facilities
45:27 The Role of Education in Mental Health
50:27 Challenging the DSM and Mental Health Labels
55:25 The Impact of Labels on Identity and Treatment
01:00:35 Cultural Perspectives on Mental Health
01:05:28 The Commodification of Mental Health
01:10:42 The Importance of Self-Determination in Therapy
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Creators and Guests
Host
Dr. Roger McFillin
Dr. Roger McFillin is a Clinical Psychologist, Board Certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology. He is the founder of the Conscious Clinician Collective and Executive Director at the Center for Integrated Behavioral Health.
Guest
Kaycee Bills, Phd.
Dr. Kaycee Bills earned her PhD in social work from the University of Tennessee and is currently a professor at Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame. At Saint Mary’s College, she teaches courses over the DSM-V, human behavior in the social environment, and social welfare policy.
